Voice of Jewish Sport

NORMALLY the start of a Grand Slam tournament sees us looking out for the fortunes of Israel’s tennis players, the likes of Shahar Peer and Dudi Sela. And while we will still be keeping an eye out for them, this time around we also have another vested interest in American Noah Rubin. In all fairness, the 18-year-old, who won the Wimbledon boys title last month, will have to produce the performance of his life to get past the first round. However, Rubin is just starting out on the professional circuit, and fresh from his Wimbledon triumph, along with winning the most prestigious junior American tournament last weekend, is going into Flushing Meadows under no pressure, just looking to enjoy himself and the ride.

IT’S ONLY ever happened three times in sporting history, so it’s only right we celebrate when Israel win a European Athletics medal. While he may not be a born and bred Israeli, Donald Sanford nevertheless broke two Israeli national records on his way to winning bronze in the 400m. The 27-year-old Californian native received Israeli citizenship three years ago after marrying an Israeli basketball player, and having come close to reaching the podium in previous Championships, finally did so in Zurich. There wasn’t though such a happy story for the other members of the Israeli delegation. Ma’ayan Shahaf finished the high-jump final joint-last, while Yimharan Yosef finished the highest among their four marathon runners, coming in 40th place.

LANGDON HAVE announced they have some charity places available for the 2015 Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon next March. A minimum contribution is expected, with all funds being raised going towards supporting Langdon’s programmes. Anyone interested in securing a place, or who knows a runner or someone who’s looking for a challenge, should contact Sara.Glaser@langdonuk.org or call 0845 600 6562 Ext. 1110 for more details or to register.