UPDATE - Issue 09 - October 2001
No Prostate but Gold Medal
For
all the 'derring-do' and stiff upper-lips exhibited at the 16th Maccabiah
Games in Israel this summer it would be hard to find a more cheering story
than that of 61 year old British gold medallist Michael Davidson of Harrow.
Violence in the Middle East had led to a question mark over the Games which
can be likened to a Jewish mini-Olympics. The decision was made to go ahead
but the number of competitors from all over the world dropped from around
7,000 to about 3,000.
Michael Davidson had a radical prostatectomy at the end of November last performed by Mr Roger Kirby FRCS and was told not to take part in competitive squash for several months. Davidson determined to clip off from this restriction time as much as possible. He was no stranger to Maccabiah success, winning the team silver in 1985 (over 50s) and golds in 1993 and 1997 (over 55s) with him captaining the successful class of 97.
On 12th July this year the British Wrinklies (the over sixties) team set off to participate in 'The Masters'. The Games ended on 22nd July with Michael Davidson, sporting a PSA reading of 0.1, being a member of the British Gold Medalwinning Over 55s team and performing admirably in the Over 60s singles competition where he gained a Bronze for Britain.