Last Saturday saw the annual London Youth Games held at a very cold Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, writes Tim Hannah. A squad of girls and boys represented Ealing, and both teams came 11th out of the 32 boroughs.
Mohamed Sharif Ali – pictured right – won the Under 15 boys race in very convincing style with a 13 second lead over his second place rival. He was followed by team members Sudeys Hersi (ESM) who came 30th and Kane Foster (ESM) in 47th place. The Ealing U15 boys were 5th overall.
The Under 17 women’s team were Ealing’s next best team, 7th overall. Nicola Ravenhill finished in 8th place, Laura Stewart in 20th and Maryam Hussein 49th. All three are ESM members.
The first race of the day provided firm conditions underfoot for the Under 15 girls, with the scoring runners again all from ESM. Lucy O’Brien led the team home in 21st. Fiona Coutts followed her in 63rd place and Estelle Belgrave came 113rd.
By late morning, the sun was shining when the Under 13 girls went up the hill in their race. Zakia Mossi crossed the line within sight of the leaders in 17th place. Jasmine Palmer and Natasha Jones also scored in 94th and 100th places. The team finished 17th.
Also placed 17th were the Under 13 boys. The ESM trio of Mahiis Hersi, Marcus West and Finn Combe finished in 54th, 69th and 78th place respectively.
Finally the Under 17 men went into battle. They had the longest run, 4.5 km up and down the steep slopes. ESM’s George Kerry led them home in 16th place. Clubmate Jack Whittaker came in together with Aaron Ajayi, in 71st and 72nd. The team finished 14th overall. Full results here.