Richard Goodman dominated the Under 17 South of England Cross Country Championship at Parliament Hill, winning the 6,000m race by 41 seconds.
Taking an immediate lead in muddy conditions, he spent much of the race in isolation.
Goodman said: “Having competed in the Under 20 age group this season, stepping down to the lower age group actually increased the level of expectation on me. As soon as the gun went, I pushed hard up the long first hill, and from then on I was on my own.
At one point there were no course marshalls and the tape marking the route had fallen away, and I had to stop for a few seconds for course directions.”
The Maccabiah double gold medallist is now targeting the National Championships at the end of this month and the Inter-counties and the World Cross Country Championships in March.
Goodman’s Shaftesbury teammate Sagie Benaim, 19, continued his progress after a persistent hip injury, coming 39th out of 100 in the 8000m Under 20 race.
Benaim said: “It was very muddy but I enjoyed it and I am happy with my performance. I’m looking forward to the Nationals in three weeks’ time.”