Israeli fencer makes history with European championship win

Israeli fencer Yuval Freilich, 24, took the gold medal in the European Fencing Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Tuesday.

Yuval Freilich, ranked 40th in the world, beat out Italy’s Andrea Santarelli, who is ranked at 13, to take first place at the elite competition.

“It’s the most incredible feeling,” the 24 year-old said in an interview posted to Facebook by the European Fencing Confederation. “Really a fantastic day. Everything connected, the fencing, the energy, the feeling. It just all came together and this is what came out. Amazing, really unbelievable feeling.”

A son of Australian Jewish immigrants to Israel, Freilich grew up in Neve Daniel and has been fencing since he was five years old.

In 2014 and 2015, Freilich won gold medals in teen championships, and he won a silver medal in the under-23 category in 2016.

JNS.ORG