Hanna leaps into record books

Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko leapt into the record books on Thursday when she leapt 6.52meters at the 78th Israel national championships.

Claiming gold at the Hadar Yosef Stadium in Tel Aviv, the triple-jumper who finished sixth at the last year’s World Championships, set a new personal best, which was also bettered the previous Israel record by six centimeters – which had stood for 28 years.

Elsewhere, Ma’ayan Shahaf won the women’s high jump, while Donald Sanford came first in both the 200 and 400m. All three will represent Israel at next month’s European Championships in Zurich. The tournament also saw  44-year-old Dorit Naor  win her 19th national title in the javelin, before announcing her retirement. She said: “This was my last time on the podium. All good things must come to an end. I enjoyed every moment. Athletics is my life and now I will focus on nurturing the next generation.”