A rich Israeli badminton legacy as Tokyo Olympics loom
Misha is now known as the face of Israeli badminton and wants to continue to influence the sport through coaching after his career is over.
By GABRIELLE ABRAMSIsraeli badminton player Misha Zilberman(photo credit: REUTERS)Veteran Olympian Misha Zilberman will return to the Tokyo Games to represent Israel in badminton. This will be the 32-year-old’s third Olympic Games following appearances in both 2012 and 2016.
Zilberman was born in Moscow, Russia, to a family with a strong athletic background. He made Aliyah with his family in 1991 and quickly got involved in the badminton scene. Misha’s father, Michael, was a member of the Soviet national floor gymnastics team and later became the assistant coach for the Soviet national badminton team. Israeli badminton player Misha Zilberman. (Reuters)
Svetlana, Misha’s mother, also played professional badminton, which was how she met her husband who was her coach. She got Misha hooked on the sport at a young age, as he would attend her practices. Misha started training seriously at 12 years old with his club Kfar Maccabiah. Svetlana now serves as Misha’s individual coach, with Michael working as the coach for the Israeli national team.
Misha was the first Israeli badminton representative at the Games in 2012 where he placed 33rd in the singles competition. He improved his standing in the Summer Olympics in 2016, finishing in 14th overall. Misha has also won gold medals in the Maccabi Games in 2013 and 2017 in both singles and mixed doubles with his mother as his partner. At the European Games in 2019 Misha competed in singles and earned a bronze medal for Team Israel.
Misha is now known as the face of Israeli badminton and wants to continue to influence the sport through coaching after his career is over.
