Important for Israelis to see their athletes at the Olympics, defeated fencer says

After a surprise defeat, Yuval Freilich is disappointed but hopes to make his return in future Games, says it was ‘fantastic’ that he managed to qualify despite war at home

PARIS, France — Yuval Freilich’s dream of Olympic glory in Paris lasted just nine minutes on Sunday, which the Israeli fencer told AFP was a “huge disappointment.”

But he reflected that “given the larger picture… it’s a positive experience.”

The 29-year-old has been accustomed to making history by becoming both the first Israeli man to be crowned European champion and the first to qualify in the epee for an Olympics.

However, despite being ranked seventh in Paris, Freilich went down in a surprise defeat to Italy’s Andrea Santarelli, ranked some 19 places below him, in the last-32 round.

The Israel-born son of Australian parents was upset after losing, sobbing into the chest of one of his team’s staff.

“At the moment there is huge disappointment and I am sure it will only get stronger as time goes by,” he told AFP.

Freilich said he was proud to have qualified for the Olympics and he at least had his family with him to provide solace, but he said his defeat was small fry in contrast to what is happening at home, where Israel is engaged in a war with Hamas in Gaza, which is threatening to spread amid escalated tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“I am proud to represent my country and it’s important for my country to see that we have Israeli athletes representing them,” he said. “I think in the larger picture, if I put things in perspective, it’s a positive experience.”

Israel’s Yuval Freilich, left, and Italy’s Andrea Santarelli compete in the men’s individual Epee round of 32 competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the Grand Palais, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Freilich refused to use the war as an excuse, although it has made training more complicated.

“It hasn’t restricted us too much,” he said. “Before the war began we had sparring partners who would come with us to Israel and come train with us.

“Since the war began they couldn’t so I had to travel abroad. But that’s OK. It didn’t impair my preparations in any way. The fact that I got here is a fantastic result.”

‘Clear my head’

Freilich, one of six children, fell in love with fencing at age five. He was first inspired by his father, Gabby, who won him over by telling him it was “sword fighting.”

He said he immediately had visions of the movies and “backflips, jumps and throwing the sword in the air and catching it.”

However, reality dawned when he watched the sport at the 2000 Olympics.

“The idea of fencing started at the Sydney Olympics,” said Freilich, whose parents returned to Israel from Australia in 2005.

“It would have been a nice way to close the circle had I got a medal here. But I haven’t and I didn’t. Fortunately, there are still more competitions to come. Hopefully next time I will be more successful.”

The Olympic dream is not yet over as Freilich has expressed a hope to keep competing until the 2032 Brisbane Games.

“Epee fencers can be old,” he said. “A few months ago I said that the plan is to go through to Brisbane. At the moment what I am going to do is go back to Israel, clean my room, clear my head and make the decisions.”

Although his first Olympic experience ended in an early exit, he insisted he was “happy to be here,” before adding ruefully: “I would have been happier for it to be a longer day.”

War erupted on October 7, when some 1,200 people were slaughtered and 251 were seized as hostages in a Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel. It is believed that 111 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 confirmed dead by the IDF.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 39,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 15,000 combatants in battle and some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 attack.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 331.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.