Yuval Freilich, 24, won the European Fencing Championship on June 18, 2019, becoming the first Israeli to do so. Photo: European Fencing Confederation website.

JNS.org – 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, rank 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 a silver medal in the under-23 category in 2016.