Illias leads the way in new mini marathon

Wheelchair racer wins for the third year in a row

Thursday, 27th April 2023 — By Steve Barnett

Illias Zghoundi with Ben Dorsett

Illias Zghoundi, pictured with Team Camden manager Ben Dorsett, clocked a time of 7.02 to win the boys’ Under-17s race

WHEELCHAIR racer Illias Zghoundi was once again the toast of Team Camden on Saturday when he won the TCS Mini London Marathon for the third year in a row.

Camden’s Under-13s girls with their medals, from left: Isabel Wolfensberger (11.55), who was 122nd out of 163 finishers, Olive Brungs (11.20) 95th, Decca Gordon (12.15) 137th, Amara Mankodi (10.59) 72nd, Emily Lowe (11.43) 118th and Verity Hawkins (13.14) 155th

Competing in the Under-17s T53/54 category, the 16-year-old from West Hampstead whizzed around the 2.6k course in Westminster in just seven minutes and two seconds.

Under-15s girls, from left: Josephine Luis (11.19), who was 98th out of 142 finishers, Mabel Askew (10.20) 43rd, Tamara Felix (11.30) 104th, Faduma Omar Abdi (10.31) 54th, Alice Waites (11.46) 107th and Eloise Lindley (10.39) 61st

After putting in a performance that his hero David Weir – an eight-time London Marathon winner – would be proud of, Illias said: “I am very pleased with my achievements so far, I enjoy racing so much. I’m progressing well at the Weir Archer Academy, the next stop is the track season in Stoke Mandeville.”

Under-15s boys, from left: Theo Harvey (10.28), who was 129th out of 152 finishers, Matteo Ceccoli (9.51) 102nd, Gaspard Robertson (9.31) 80th, Joseph Drinkell (9.41) 88th, Paolo Ceccoli (9.47) 98th and Oscar Fletcher (11.16) 143rd

Overall 32 young athletes represented Team Camden at the weekend, taking on a new course that saw them start at Horse Guards Parade before running alongside St James’s Park and then racing past Buckingham Palace towards the finish line on The Mall.

Under-17s boys, from left: Wiremu Nicole (8.38), who was 41st out of 121 finishers, Joseph Hayes (8.22) 25th, Jordan Nash (10.00) 110th, Riyad Salah (9.35) 94th and Louie Samuels (9.25) 84th

Team manager Ben Dorsett, who works for Camden Council’s Sport and Physical Activity Service, said he was delighted to see so many youngsters turn out to represent their respective boroughs.

Under-17s girls, from left: Sophie Foot (9.50), who was 20th out of 109 finishers, Leoni Delvendahl (11.13) 66th and Lizzie Wortsman (10.45) 51st

He added: “The Mini London Marathon is one of the highlights of our calendar and it was great to see so many young people enjoying themselves and getting the chance to interact with other young athletes from across the capital.

Under-13s boys, from left: Aaron Kelly (10.52), who was 126th out of 151 finishers, Alexander Pettican (10.16) 94th, Heath Robin (10.50) 123rd, Luke Harvey (11.06) 132nd and Soren Eis Loynes (10.47) 119th

“I want to say a massive well done to Illias following his big win, he was fantastic and completed his race so quickly. And well done to all the young people who competed for Camden, they made us all very proud.”

To find out about all the sporting opportunities to represent Team ­Camden in 2023 email Ben.Dorsett@camden.gov.uk

Related Articles