Nathan: Delegation came through tough times, but it was worth it
SPORT Joel Nathan described Team Maccabi GB’s participation at the 15th European Maccabi Games as a resounding success after the delegation returned from Budapest with a medal in every sport.
MGB’s 215-strong delegation competed in eight sports, and in each they completed a memorable ten days with a combination of gold, silver and bronze medals.
The final day of action saw GB win both the junior futsal competitions, while the U18 squad also secured gold after beating Argentina, thanks to a goal from Dylan Krikler. And they went into the closing ceremony in high spirits after the Men’s Open Football team beat France 2-1 in the final, thanks to a late goal from Austin Lipman.
General team manager Joel Nathan said: “The squad performed to a high level throughout and our medal flurry on the final day was the perfect way to finish.
“I was particularly delighted about the three gold medals in the tennis singles. Max Benaim, Lillian Moulds and Sam Bossem were in a different class to anyone else.”
Nathan praised the U16 futsal team for showing “unbelievable character” to keep battling until the end of their final against South Africa, before winning on penalties.
He went on to say: “We also won medals in table tennis, swimming, squash and fencing. Overall, it’s been a great tournament after some initial logistical issues. Our squad has come through some challenging times and stuck together. The sports side of things has been absolutely superb and well-organised.”
Asked for his thoughts on having international gold medals, as well as European golds in the same competitions, Nathan said: “Unfortunately those are the European Maccabi Federation rules. But we’ve asked for them to rethink for next time as we believe that if a nation is invited to play, there should only be one gold medal.”