Grand Slam Winner Jerusalem: First place and season’s best for Blessing Afrifah, peak achievement for Adva Cohen, victory for Yonatan Kapitolnik and season’s best for Hanna Minenko
Grand Slam Winner Jerusalem was held tonight (Sunday) at the National Stadium Givat Ram with the participation of about 80 athletes from abroad and about 60 Israeli athletes.
Blessing Afrifah (Maccabi Tel Aviv) excited the crowd, when he won the 200-meter race while setting his season’s best time of 20.47 seconds. In the same race, Gal Arad (Maccabi Tel Aviv) finished fifth with a time of 20.83 seconds.
“I am very pleased with the result,” said Afrifah and added: “The Israeli crowd pushed me and encouraged me throughout the entire race and I am very grateful to them for that. I must admit that I was also a bit nervous before the race because after all, it’s a competition here in the country, and it was important for me to prove myself in front of the local crowd. Now I will continue with full force to the European Championship that will take place next month.”
Another blue and white athlete who finished in first place is Yonatan Kapitolnik (Maccabi Tel Aviv), who won the high jump competition with a result of 2.15 meters.
Adva Cohen (Maccabi Tel Aviv) set the best Israeli achievement in 2,000 steeplechase: 6:26.52 minutes and finished second in the race. Caravan Halabi (Maccabi Haifa Carmel) finished fourth with a new personal best of 6:32.67 minutes. “I worked on entering the water pit and it improved. It was very fun for me to run in front of the Israeli crowd, family and friends who came to see me. The next close goal is the Israeli Championship in 3,000 steeplechase this coming Thursday,” Cohen said.
Alina Drotman (Maccabi Rishon LeZion) finished 2nd in the women’s 100-meter race with a time of 11.66 seconds. Ilana Dorfman (Hapoel Holon) came right after her in third place with a time of 11.97 seconds. In the same distance for men, Ido Peretz (Hapoel Holon) was the Israeli who finished in the highest place – in sixth place, with a time of 10.62 seconds.
In the 400-meter hurdles women’s race, Noa Levy (Maccabi Rishon LeZion) finished 2nd with a time of 58.58 seconds.
Margarita Dorozhon (Athletes of the Negev) finished second in javelin throw with her season’s best of 54.25 meters.
Another Israeli athlete who reached second place is Noam Mamo (Hapoel Emek Hefer) in the 800-meter race, crossing the finish line in a time of 1:48.98 minutes.
Israel’s 4×100 relay team, which included Ido Peretz (Hapoel Holon), Aviv Koppler (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Blessing Afrifah (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Gal Arad (Maccabi Tel Aviv), won with a result of 39.84 seconds.
Hanna Minenko (Maccabi Haifa Carmel) set her season’s best in triple jump – 13.56 meters – which gave her seventh place.
In men’s long jump, Yishai Ifraimov (Lider Jerusalem) finished third with a result of 7.64 meters.
Dor Hayon (Athletes of the Negev) also finished third in the 110-meter hurdles race, while setting a new personal best of 13.39 seconds.
Sasha Lukshin (Maccabi Haifa Carmel) finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles race with her season’s best, 13.39 seconds.
Estelle Vellano (Maccabi Tel Aviv) finished fourth in discus throw with a distance of 54.62 meters.
