Good work

Richard Goodman, 15, came third in the South of England Under 17 Cross Country Championships in Hillingdon. He finished behind runners that were both a full year older him. In the Under 20 race, Goodman’s clubmate Sagie Benaim, 18, came 36th, helping Shaftesbury to the team bronze medal.

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Goodman puts his best foot forward

Richard Goodman scored an emphatic victory in the Middlesex Under 17 Cross Country Championships at Trent Park, North West London. Making light work of difficult conditions underfoot and sub-zero temperatures, Goodman finished the six-kilometre course more than a minute ahead of his closest rival.

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Sport in brief

Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier Richard Goodman, 15, won the combined Under 17 and Under 20 North Thames Cross Country Championships in Kingsbury.

Competing against runners-up to four years his senior, Goodman of Stanmore finished 55 seconds clear of the rest of the field. “Before the race, former world record holder Dave Bedford told me that I could be the next Dave Bedford, and that I had the perfect physique for cross-country and middle-distance. That encouragement inspired me to run what I think is one of my best races.”

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GB athletes boosted by major deal

Maccabi GB has continued its preparations for next summer’s 18th Maccabiah Games by announcing a new and unprecedented partnership deal with Village Hotels worth in the region of a quarter of a million pounds.

The agreement will see Village Hotels offering complimentary membership of their state-of-the-art fitness clubs to each member of Team GB taking part in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in July 2009.

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Manny happy returns for novice daredevil

First-time competitor Manny Cohen, 51, surprised everyone including himself when he finished ninth at the 2008-2009 British Bobsleigh Championships held at the challenging Cesana Pariol track in Italy.

The ex-Hasmonean pupil, who is chairman of the RM Group, joined top athletes including Dean Macey, Jason Gardner and Craig Maclean to compete against the GB Team.

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Big Macc squeezed on funds

There are fears that next year's Jewish Olympics could be scaled down as a result of the credit crunch.

The latest financial crisis engulfing July's Maccabiah Games revolves around the failure of the organisers to raise sufficient sponsorship funds due to the global recession.

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Sport in brief

CRICKET Mark Blackston is the Northern Jewish League player of the season. The Bury & Whitefield all-rounder helped the team win the NJCL Cup. Huddy Lieberman received the young player award. David Cohen won the top player award in the Under 14 category.

CHESS Israel took silver, their first ever medal, after beating the Netherlands at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany.

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Harriers’ teen spirit shines through

Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers' young middle-distance stars Sagie Benaim and Richard Goodman started the cross-country season in fine fashion. In the London Championships at Parliament Hill, Goodman, 15, won the Under 17 race by a comfortable 20-second margin, while Benaim, 18, came a close second in the under-20 race.

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Goodman races to middle distance double

Athletics Stanmore athlete Richard Goodman won both the 800m and 1500m under-17 races in the Young Athletes League in Norwich last week.

Goodman, 15, achieved one of his season's ambitions by breaking the two minute barrier, winning in 1:59.8. Delighted with the performance, he said: "I ran a tactical race and was very pleased to win in such good time. I had just completed a very tough training week for elite young athletes at St Mary's College, Twickenham.

"But it made this win all the more worthwhile."

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