The 2017 winners of the Daniel Sacks Awards for Outstanding
Young Athletic Achievement are Emma Taylor, Idan Gal-Shohet and brothers Joshua
and Adam Firsht.
Shaftesbury Barnet field event specialist Taylor, now 17,
attained national ranking in the javelin, hammer and shot put. Her competitive
season included two event victories in the Eastern Young Athletes League.
"My favourite event is the javelin, and my most satisfying performance was
setting a new best of 33.34m", Taylor said. "In fact, I improved in
all four throwing disciplines, including the discus".
Long jumper Idan Gal-Shohet competed in the U20 age group although
he was still 16 throughout the season. His furthest jumps, 6.78m and a slightly
wind-assisted 6.81m, were longer than the spectacular world record leap that
took Mary Rand to Olympic gold in 1964.
Highgate Harrier Gal-Shohet placed second in the Middlesex
Championships, won junior bronze at the Maccabiah, and gained several league
victories. "But I feel most proud of my performance in the South of
England championship", he reflected. “My technique wasn’t great and I had
a few foul jumps. But in the last round I was able to focus and apply my training
under pressure, and I moved up from fifth to take the silver medal".
400m specialist Joshua Firsht, now 17, struck gold at the
Independent Schools Association National Championships. But his most pleasing performance
came when placing second in the Sussex Schools Championships. He explained,
"My GCSEs were about to start and I was in two minds about whether to
race. But I came close to winning, and set a new PB of 51.91".
800m runner Adam Firsht, 14, placed second in the Sussex
Schools Championships, then one week later he achieved his season's ambition:
he recorded an England Schools qualification time of 2:04.92 at the South
Eastern Schools Championships. "That performance was my proudest
achievement. At the start of the season I did not think it was possible",
Adam said. His second fastest run came in hot and humid conditions at the
England Schools Championships themselves. "It was amazing to compete in
front of a big crowd in one of the largest youth competitions in the
world", he reflected.
Three previous award winners each struck gold at the world's
premier Jewish sporting competition. Eden Davis, 18, gained a Junior 100m and
200m sprint double at the Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, with his performances
sandwiched between GB junior international appearances. Ellie Edwards, now 21,
demolished her personal bests to take senior gold in the 200m and silver in the
100m, while David Stone, 15, ran a brilliant tactical race to take the junior
3000m title against runners three years his senior.
Hannah Viner, 21, raced prolifically on track, road and
cross-country. She placed second in both the Middlesex and London cross country
championships and won two international 10k races in Spain. But her finest
achievement was her remarkable victory in the England U23 5000m Championships.
Richard Goodman, 24, ran four races in the Metropolitan
League and won them all, as well as winning the Middlesex cross country title.
On the track he passed a long-awaited milestone in running 5000m in 13:59.94.
Racing often in the Eastern Young Athletes League and in Watford
Open Graded Meetings, Gilad Nachshen cut his 800m best to 2:04.44 to rank
second in the UK for first year U15s.
Woodford Green javelin specialist James Bongart, 21, added
almost 4m to his personal best. His throw of 62.08m places him sixth in the UK
U23 standings.
Blackheath & Bromley pole vaulter Sophie Dowson, 19,
moved to UK U20 fourth place with a clearance of 3.91m.
Lia Radus culminated an excellent run of form by placing a
close second in the South of England Athletics U17 1500m Championships. Her
time of 4:33.34 places her 13th in the U17 national rankings, while she remains
in the age group next year. Younger sister Maayan, 13, beat 5 minutes for 1500m
on three occasions and ranked seventh in the UK in her year group for 3000m.
Sprinter and jumper Roger Bruck, 78, continued to belie his
age by winning four golds in the Southern Counties Veterans Championships and
two golds, a silver and a bronze at the British Masters Championships.
