One recent Monday evening I visited the Allianz Stadium, Hendon, to watch a group of young athletes in training. They were members of Maccabi London Harriers (MLH) and I was there at the invitation of their head coach Murray Ayrton. It is largely through Ayrton’s vision and hard work that MLH came into being in September last year. His aim is that the club will help develop the next generation of GB Maccabiah athletes.
The session that I attended took place at the indoor track underneath the stadium’s East Stand. A display near the entrance of this world-class facility records that the track was moved from the Olympic Stadium, where it was used for the warm-up area for the 2012 Olympics. The wall running down the length of the track is decorated with framed posters of every modern Olympiad, in chronological order.
MLH currently caters for three age groups: under-11, under-13 and under-15. The only entrance requirement is a willingness to try out the sport. During the session that I attended, the young athletes were preparing for a pentathlon competition at the end of the month.
They were split into three groups, each of six to eight young athletes. Murray was teaching the elements of hurdling while his daughter, Rachel, was guiding a group of long jumpers. A little further down the track youngsters were trying the high jump under the guidance of coaches Steve Norris and Sara Black. Each group listened attentively to the technical guidance given by their coaches before each round of practice.
