Eden Davis, Ellie Edwards and David Stone have each won Maccabiah
gold medals in spectacular style.
Team captain Ellie Edwards, competing in the Open (that is,
senior) age group, demolished her previous best times to take gold in the 200m
(24.85) and silver in the 100m (12.17). She also took a bronze medal as part of
a composite 4x400m relay team that included three Australian runners.
Edwards reported, “In both events I was up against faster
athletes. I was especially nervous at the start of the 200 because three of my
competitors had beaten 25 seconds while I never had. So I was delighted with
both my performances, especially my 200 gold in a huge personal best. Taking
responsibility for my team of ten athletes throughout the Games was one of the
most challenging things I have ever done, but also the most enjoyable."
Eden Davis, 18, stormed to victory in both junior sprints,
taking the 100m in 10.51 and the 200m in a new personal best of 21.68. Davis
said, “It was difficult at first to train in the heat of the Israeli summer, but
after a few days we adapted. It was a tremendous experience and everyone was
very supportive, barring a bit of gamesmanship from the Israeli athletes.”
Competing against athletes three years his senior, David
Stone, 15, took victory in the junior 3000m by a 60m margin in 9:07.54. Stone
commented, “I saw the 1500, in which the Israelis stayed back and kicked at the
end. So I decided to go off as fast as possible to avoid getting caught. Luckily
the plan worked.”
Idan Gal-Shohet, 16, took the bronze medal in the junior
long jump with a fine jump of 6.56m. Joel Alexander, 15, set a new high jump PB
of 1.60m, to place fourth behind three Israeli 18-year-olds. Rachel Ayrton, 17,
placed fifth in the junior 800m having led during the first lap. Ayrton has the
rare distinction of having competed in two Maccabiahs in two different sports,
having represented GB in swimming in 2013.
The GB junior 4x100m relay squad of Joel Alexander, Idan
Gal-Shohet, David Stone and Eden Davis came home with silver medals, thanks to
a storming anchor leg by Davis. A team of Alexander, Gal-Shohet, Stone and Tal
Pelmont also took bronze in the junior 4x400m relay.
In total, 20 nations
were represented on the track, with Israel unsurprisingly dominating the medal
table. Probably the most impressive performance in global terms was that of Ukrainian-born
Israeli Marharyta Dorozhon, 29. Dorozhon won the Open javelin gold with
a throw of 63.07m. This ranks her 17th in the world this year, and is likely to
secure her place in next month’s World Championships in London.
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