Jewish Athletics 2015: Text Versions June to December

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June 5

Eden Davis broke a competition record that had stood since 2006 to take the U17 100m title at the prestigious Bedford International Games. His time of 10.76 was a new personal best that moved him to fifth in the national age-group rankings.

At 10 years of age, Maayan Radus beat older rivals to win the Middlesex U13 1500m championship at Mile End. Her time of 5:09.80 sliced more than 15 seconds off her previous best. Her sister Lia, 13, also cut her PB substantially in taking the U15 1500m silver medal in 4:56.14.

Ellie Edwards won the Cheshire & Greater Manchester U20 100m title in 12.46 while her sister Allana placed third in the U17 300m hurdles in 49.31. Both performances were PBs.

JFS student Emma Taylor,14, threw the javelin 26.64m in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League at Braintree, to enter the national U15 rankings.

June 12

David Stone, 13, ran a well-judged race to take victory in his 1500m heat at the Watford Open Graded Meeting in a new PB of 4:36.44. Fellow Shaftesbury Barnet runner Richard Goodman, 22, contested his first 1500m in four years in the elite race, placing fifth in 3:51.28. Rosalind Zeffert moved to 17th in the UK V50 100m list with a time of 15.73, while Gabe Yawitch, 14, set a new best time of 13.10 over the same distance.

Ellie Edwards, 18, gained a double victory in the North of England League at Bury, winning the U20 100m (12.8) and 200m (26.1). Her sister Orli took the U13 javelin silver medal in the Cheshire & Greater Manchester Championships with a throw of 20.20m.

Philip Benson, 22 set a new 1500m PB of 4:06.11 competing for Harrow AC in the British Athletics League at Watford.

June 19

Harrow AC pole vault specialist Sophie Dowson, 16, gained her most significant victory to date at the South of England U20 Championships at Lee Valley. Her winning clearance of 3.60m matched her personal best, which positions her fifth in the UK U17 rankings.

The various Schools County Championships saw several medal winning performances by Jewish athletes. Eden Davis took 200m gold (22.4) and 100m silver (11.2) in the Hertfordshire U17 Championships, while Anna Barnett took discus gold (34.41m) and shot put bronze (9.40m) in the Kent U17 competition. Both of her performances were personal bests. Jessica Hurley (Herts U17 300m), Rachel Ayrton (Middlesex U17 800m) and Matti Harris (Herts U13 1500m) all gained silver medals, while Lia Radus (London U15 1500m) and Emma Taylor (Middlesex U15 javelin) took bronzes. Greg Hurley took fourth in the Herts U15 300m. All of these performances were close to or exceeded the athletes’ personal bests.

Two Israeli women, both originally from the Ukraine, have been producing world class performances on the international stage. Marharyta Dorozhon, 27, set an Israeli javelin record of 64.56m at the Oslo Diamond League on June 11. In winning the event she beat the European and double Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova, as well as the current and previous world champions Christina Obergfoll and Mariya Abakumova, and the current world leader Sunette Viljoen. Her performance ranks eighth on this year's world list.

Hanna Minenko, 25, moved to fifth in the world rankings and set a national triple jump record of 14.61m when finishing second in Prague on June 8. Minenko also holds the Israeli long jump record of 6.52m, which she set last year.

June 26

The various Schools County Championships saw several medal winning performances by Jewish athletes. Eden Davis took 200m gold (22.4) and 100m silver (11.2) in the Hertfordshire U17 Championships, while Anna Barnett took discus gold (34.41m) and shot put bronze (9.40m) in the Kent U17 competition. Both of her performances were personal bests. Jessica Hurley (Herts U17 300m), Rachel Ayrton (Middlesex U17 800m) and Matti Harris (Herts U13 1500m) all gained silver medals, while Lia Radus (London U15 1500m) and Emma Taylor (Middlesex U15 javelin) took bronzes. Greg Hurley took fourth in the Herts U15 300m. All of these performances were close to or exceeded the athletes’ personal bests.

Star pole vaulter Sophie Dowson equalled her best of 3.60m in placing fifth in the England Athletics U20 Championship at Bedford. Dowson was beaten by just one U17 competitor, who also scaled 3.60m

The fortnightly Watford Open Graded Meetings provide excellent opportunities for athletes to target their personal bests in competition with runners of a similar standard. Brothers Jack and Ben Bloom both lowered their 800m times in the latest meeting, with Jack, 14, recording 2:15.57 and Ben, 11, achieving 2:29.56. Sophie Peters, 13, improved her best to 2:41.69.  Jack Bloom reduced his time further to 2:14.22 in the Barnet Schools Championships the following day, while Peters gained a new 1500m PB of 5:29.6 in the Youth Development League at Reading.

Three Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers took victories in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Peterborough. Jessica Hurley took the U17 in 42.2 while Judah Yawitch (2:21.8, PB) and Matti Harris (2:27.5, PB) took the U13 800m A and B races respectively.

Highgate Harrier Tal Pelmont, 15, set two new personal bests in winning the 800m (2:11.9) and placing third in the 1500m (4:39.9) in the Southern Athletics League at Parliament Hill.

July 3

Sophie Dowson, 16, edged her personal best up to 3.62m in winning the pole vault at the London Inter-Club Challenge at Hendon. Rosalind Zeffertt recorded 15.64 and 33.68 for 100m and 200m to improve her UK V50 ranking at both distances. Zeffertt comprehensively beat Olympic athlete Eric Shirley in the latter event. However it must be admitted that, although he is the country's leading V85 age group athlete, Shirley has slowed somewhat since he partnered gold medallist Chris Brasher in the 1956 Olympic steeplechase final.

Anna Barnett, 16, took discus victory (33.81m) at the UK Youth Development League at Hendon. Rebecca Hurley, 17, took almost 2 seconds off her 400m hurdles best in placing third in 69.90, while George Grant won the pole vault ‘B’ event with 3.80m.

Eden Davis gained a double victory in the Southern League at Welwyn, taking the 100m in 11.2 and 200m in 23.2. Highgate Harrier Tal Pelmont, 15, set two new personal bests in winning the 800m (2:11.9) and placing third in the 1500m (4:39.9) in the Southern Athletics League at Parliament Hill. Ben Bloom, 11, lowered his 800m best to 2:29.56 at the Watford Open Graded Meeting. Lia Radus recorded 4:56.15 for 1500m at the British Milers Club at Eltham, missing her PB by just 0.01s.

July 10

Visually impaired athlete Zac Shaw, 19, enjoyed a successful England debut at the International Paralympic Grand Prix in Berlin. Battling a strong headwind in both events, Shaw took the 100m bronze medal in a personal best time of 11.63 and placed fourth in the 200m in 23.68. Cleethorpes AC sprinter Shaw is the country’s fastest runner in his Paralympic category over both distances.

Record-breaking temperatures did not prevent Tal Pelmont, 15, from setting his own personal record at the Watford Open Graded Meeting. He sliced over three seconds off his 1500m PB with a time of 4:36.16. At the same meeting Rosalind Zeffertt improved her 100m and long jump season’s bests to 15.35 and 3.64m. Both performances are within the UK V50 top 20 for the events.

Rachel Ayrton, 15, improved her 800m best by more than four seconds in recording 2:30.1 in the Southern League at Winchester.

July 17

Eden Davis,16, has become the first Jewish athlete for five years to win an individual medal at the English Schools Championships. Davis, representing Hertfordshire, took the Intermediate 100m bronze in 10.79 at last week’s Championships in Gateshead.  "I am delighted to have achieved my ambition for the season,” Davis said. "I am now on the reserve list to represent England in the Home Nations International in Glasgow next week."

Sophie Dowson gained an excellent fourth place in the intermediate pole vault with a clearance of 3.55m, despite being ill and unable to train throughout the previous week. Dowson, competing for Middlesex, commented, "I should feel proud, but actually I was annoyed not to have cleared 3.65m, which would have earned me the silver medal.”

Ellie Edwards reached the semi-finals of the senior 100m, recording 12.69 against a headwind, and took gold as part of the winning Greater Manchester 4x100m relay team.

Rachel Ayrton, 15, improved her 800m best by more than four seconds in recording 2:30.1 in the Southern League at Winchester.

July 24

Siblings Rebecca, Jessica and Greg Hurley each set personal bests in the latest Watford Open Meeting. Rebecca, 17, and Greg, 14, contested the 400m, recording 61.80 and 57.65 respectively, while Jessica, 15, raced 800m in 2:18.25. Highgate Harrier Tal Pelmont, 14, cut his 800m time to 2:10.32 while David Stone, 13, recorded 2:19.28. Four days later, Stone took the Hertfordshire U15 3000m title in 9:46.5.

Jessica Hurley, Greg Hurley, Jack Bloom, Emma Taylor and Maayan Radus all gained event wins that contributed towards Shaftesbury Barnet’s overall team victory in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Sandy, Bedfordshire.

2009 Macabia gold medallist Jennifer Simmons ran her fastest 400m hurdles for two years with victory in the North of England League at Preston in 66.4.

July 31

Roger Bruck, at age 76, enjoyed his most successful national competition ever, winning two golds and two silvers in British Masters Athletics Federation Championships in Birmingham. Competing in the M75 age category, Bruck took gold in the long jump (3.36m) and high jump (1.21m), and earned silver in the 100m (16.03) and 200m (34.38). All four performances were season's bests, despite wind and rain making conditions difficult for both the high jump and the 200m.

Eden Davis ran close to his personal bests in both sprints in the Southern Counties U17 Inter County match at Little Marlow. Davis took victory in the 100m in 10.81 and placed fifth in the 200m in 22.41. Jessica Hurley gained an "electronic timing" 300m personal best in the same match, recording 42.16. Four days previously, Hurley lowered her 800m best to 2:18.25 in the latest Watford Open Meeting. Highgate Harrier Tal Pelmont, 14, cut his 800m time to 2:10.32 while David Stone, 13, recorded 2:19.28. 

Jessica Hurley, Greg Hurley, Jack Bloom, Emma Taylor and Maayan Radus all gained event wins that contributed towards Shaftesbury Barnet’s overall team victory in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Sandy, Bedfordshire.

Former Maccabia gold medallist Jennifer Simmons gained a 400m hurdles win in the North of England League at Preston, recording 66.4. She also cleared 1.50m for her best high jump performance since 2008.

Ashleigh Trupp, 14, enjoyed a successful start her athletics career with a pole vault clearance of 2.0m in the Youth Development League at Croydon.

August 14

Judah Yawitch, 12, and Jessica Hurley, 15, achieved 1500m PBs of 4:51.04 and 5:05.40 respectively at the Watford Open Graded Meeting. Rebecca Hurley, 17, also gained a personal best in placing second in the 400m hurdles in 69.40 in the Youth Development League at Bromley.

Colette Hurley placed second in the 200m at the Southern Counties Veterans League at Hemel Hempstead in a season's best of 32.2. Her Shaftesbury Barnet team-mate Rosalind Zeffertt also gained a season’s best with a long jump of 3.70m in the London Inter-Club Challenge at Hendon. Both performances stand high in the National V50 rankings.

Jessica Hurley, Greg Hurley, Jack Bloom, Emma Taylor and Maayan Radus all gained event wins that contributed towards Shaftesbury Barnet’s overall team victory in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Sandy, Bedfordshire.

Former Maccabia gold medallist Jennifer Simmons gained a 400m hurdles win in the North of England League at Preston, recording 66.4. She also cleared 1.50m for her best high jump performance since 2008.

Ashleigh Trupp, 14, enjoyed a successful start her athletics career with a pole vault clearance of 2.0m in the Youth Development League at Croydon.

August 21

Jessica Hurley, 15, made a fine contribution to the Shaftesbury Barnet Team performance in the Eastern Young Athletes League at Hendon. Hurley took victory in the 300m (42.62), placed second in the 800m (2:23.23) and third in the triple jump (9.49m, PB). Maayan Radus, 11, also helped the side with victory in the Under 13 1500m in 5:22.03. Older sister Lia Radus, 13, took three seconds off her 1500m best, recording 4:52.92 in winning her heat at the Blackheath & Bromley Open Meeting. David Stone, 13, cut his 800m best to 2:17.50 in the Watford Open Graded Meeting.

Former Maccabia gold medallist Jennifer Simmons gained a 400m hurdles win in the North of England League at Preston, recording 66.4. She also cleared 1.50m for her best high jump performance since 2008.

Ashleigh Tropp, 14, enjoyed a successful start her athletics career with a pole vault clearance of 2.0m in the Youth Development League at Croydon.

August 28


Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko took the triple jump silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, for the finest ever success by a female Israeli athlete. Defending champion Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia took gold with a jump of 14.90m, while Knyazyeva-Minenko’s mark of 14.78m beat Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova by a single cm. The jump was a personal best and Israeli national record.

Knyazyeva-Minenko, 25, emigrated to Israel from the Ukraine two years ago in order to marry Anatoly Minenko, a former decathlete she had met at a training camp in Yalta. Minenko himself had moved to Israel from Khazakhstan at the age of 10.

Knyazyeva-Minenko, representing the Ukraine, had placed 4th in the Olympics in 2012, while the following year, wearing Israel’s colours, she placed 6th in the last World Championships. Earlier this year she took bronze in the European Indoor Championships.

Reflecting on her decision to change her nationality for love, Knyazyeva-Minenko said, " People in Ukraine said there were lots of problems, it’s dangerous, there’s conflict and war. But when we got married and I came here, I was very surprised to see how different life is in Israel. I’m very happy with Israelis, with Israel, and with our home in Tel Aviv.” After winning the silver medal, she told Israeli President Reuven Rivlin of her determination to stand on top of the rostrum. “I want to hear Hatikva —We’ll get there soon.” 

August 28

Eden Davis placed second in the 100m in the South of the England U17 Championships at Ashford, recording 10.94. Matti Harris, 12, set an 800m PB of 2:27.09 in taking victory in the Eastern Young Athletes’ League at Hendon.

September 4

The world class indoor track at the Allianz Stadium, Hendon is to be the home of new athletic club Maccabi London Harriers. This exciting new club, led by qualified athletic coaches, extends Brady Maccabi’s sports provision to the community with two age groups, Under 13 and Under 15.

Boys and girls in Years 6 to 9, who are interested in trying out competitive running, are invited with their parents to a taster session. This will take place at 7:00 pm on Monday 21 September at the Indoor Track in the East Stand at the Allianz Stadium, NW4 1RL.

Club Head Coach Murray Ayrton said, “'There is immense talent in the community. Our objective is to provide an inclusive athletic club for all Jewish athletes that want to compete at a county level, and to help produce the next generation of Maccabi JCC and Maccabia athletes.”

For more information and to register your interest, please contact Murray Ayrton on 01923 824 932, or look up Brady Maccabi online.

October 9

Deena Kastor, 42, tied the US and World 5K Masters record of 15:48, winning the women’s Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose 5K and placing third overall.

“I felt really good about the race,” said Kastor, “I came out here and gave it my best. There was not one point on the course I could have pushed harder to get a faster time.”

Kastor set the World Masters half marathon record of 1: 09:37 in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia event last year. One of the world’s greatest Jewish athletes, she won the Olympic marathon bronze medal in 2004 and the London Marathon in 2006.

October 16

Deena Kastor improved the American Masters Marathon record by almost a minute, recording 2:27:47 at the Chicago Marathon. Kastor, 42, finished seventh woman overall and top American. It was Kastor’s first sub 2:30 clocking since 2006, the year that she won the London Marathon. California-based Kastor said, “I was struggling by mile 23, but still kept up the sub 5:40 miles I needed. Now I’ll take a two week break, and then decide whether to aim for the Olympic Trials”.

Richard Goodman took a 26-second victory in the first Metropolitan Cross Country League race at Claybury Park, Woodford Green. The St Mary’s University student recorded 24:36 for the 8000m course.

Goodman, 22, reflected, “I hadn’t been sure of entering because of a slight injury worry, and then I had a further concern when I put my foot in a pothole half-way round. But I managed to pull away to run the last lap on my own, and it was pleasing start of the season for me”.

October 30

Richard Goodman has maintained his promising start to the cross country season with clear victories in the London Colleges League at Parliament Hill and the North of Thames Championships at Kingsbury. His 78 second victory in the latter race, which he completed in a fast 23:47 for 5 miles, indicates that he is approaching the form that brought him the Inter Counties title last year.

Goodman said, "In both outings I sat in early on and then tested myself by pushing hard on my own. I am now focusing on the European Under 23 Championship selection race in Liverpool at the end of November.

"Looking further ahead to the track season, I have learned that I need to take things a bit more easily in training. Then hopefully I can achieve the breakthrough performances that fatigue and injury have prevented in the last few years."

November 13

Cross Country


Richard Goodman extended his recent winning run with a 19 second victory in the second fixture of the Start Fitness Metropolitan League at Stevenage. Goodman's next major target is the European Under 23 Championship selection race in Liverpool at the end of November.

November 20

City of London schoolgirl Lia Radus placed fourth out of 181 competitors in the Under 15 cross-country championship at the London Youth Games at Parliament Hill. Attracting over 100,000 entries in 31 sports, the London Youth Games is Europe’s largest youth sports festival.

November 27

St Mary's University student Richard Goodman extended his run of victories to five, finishing 59 seconds clear of the field in the London Colleges League at Wimbledon Common. Unbeaten so far this season, Goodman will contest the European Under 23 Cross Country Trials at Liverpool this weekend.

December 4

Richard Goodman has secured his GB team place for next weekend’s European Cross Country Championships in Toulon, France. Shaftesbury Barnet star Goodman was third Under 23 finisher in the combined senior / Under 23 selection race at Sefton Park, Liverpool. He completed the muddy 9.8 km three-lap course in 30:49, six seconds behind Under 23 victor Jonathan Davies.

“I was slightly disappointed in that a couple of basic errors may have cost me the race," Goodman explained. ”I did not have enough to eat beforehand, and so my blood sugar levels were probably too low. Also, the early leaders set a furious pace and I made the mistake of going with them. So I really struggled over the last third of the race, and I only lost the Under 23 lead in the last few hundred metres.

“On the other hand, I achieved my main objective of earning my GB vest, and I'm really looking forward to the Championship race next weekend. Training has been going well, with quality taking precedence over quantity, and I'm really happy with where my running is right now."

December 18

Richard Goodman produced a storming run to help Great Britain secure team silver in the European Under 23 Cross Country Championships in Hyeres, South of France. Goodman placed 11th individually and was third British scorer behind gold medallist Jonathan Davies and fourth place finisher Marc Scott. With the first four runners scoring in each six-man squad, GB finished just two points behind the winning Spanish team.

Always in the leading group until the front runners broke away in the final stages, Goodman led the field for the middle part of the five lap race. He completed the 8.087 km course in a fast 23:53, earning high praise from TV commentator Steve Cram.

"The race was very crowded and it began with a fierce sprint. Early on I got spiked and was thrown a few punches - I have never known such a rough race”, Goodman recounted. “So it was more comfortable to move to the front where I would have a clearer run. I knew going into the last lap that the pace would quicken and I did not have any extra reserves to call on. I could not have run the race any harder. So I'm really pleased for myself and for Jonathan and Marc, and delighted to earn team silver.”

December 18

Maayan Radus led City of London School for Girls to national team victory in the under-13 English Schools Cross Country Cup in Bedford. Having been boxed in during the early stages of the race, Radus fought back to finish seventh out of 145 in the 2.4 km race.
 

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