Nachas for Nachshen as he starts 2018 in some style

ATHLETICS GILAD Nachshen, 14, jumped straight to the top of the under-15 indoor national rankings by recording 55.86 for 400m at the Lee Valley New Year Open.

Competing for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, Nachshen followed this by taking the South of England U15 800m indoor championship in 2:15.03.

“The 800m was a tactical race rather than a time trial,” said Nachshen, “and altogether it has been a really good start to the year.”

Lia Radus set an 800m PB of 2:18.70 at the Lee Valley New Year Open and placed second at the Middlesex U20 cross country Championships.

Radus, 16, commented: “I was very happy with my solid start to the season in the 800m.

“I don’t enjoy cross-country so much, and could perhaps have performed slightly better in the Middlesex race, but I was mentally tired from my GCSE preparations.”

Her younger sister, Maayan, 13, recorded 2:31.83 for the New Year’s Day 800m and placed fifth in the Middlesex U15 Cross Country despite illness earlier in the week.

London Heathside athlete Jack Davis-Black placed fifth in the Middlesex U15 boys cross country championship, while Bini Bloom, 14, produced an excellent time of 18:18 in the St Albans park run.