Misha Zilberman

Misha Zilberman (מישה זילברמן, Миша Зильберман; born 30 January 1989) is an Israeli Olympic badminton player. He competed for Israel at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics, coming in 33rd, 14th, and 15th respectively. He also won a bronze medal at the 2022 European Badminton Championships, and bronze medals at the 2019 and 2023 European Games. He is the first Israeli player to win a medal at the European Badminton Championships. Zilberman will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in badminton in the Men's singles from 27 July to 5 August 2024, at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, in his fourth consecutive Olympic Games.

Early and personal life
Zilberman was born in Moscow, Soviet Russia. He is an only child of his father, Michael, and his mother, Svetlana Zilberman. His father was born in Russia in 1945, and immigrated to Israel in 1991, with his wife and son Misha. He worked in Pardes Hannah, and then in Rishon LeZion.

Svetlana was born in Belarus in 1958. She began playing badminton at the age of 12, which is how she met Michael, who was her coach.

Both of his parents come from athletic backgrounds. His father was a member of the Soviet national floor gymnastics team, until he retired as the result of an injury. He then became the coach to the Soviet national badminton team. Svetlana competes in professional badminton. Her greatest accomplishment was winning a bronze medal in the 1986 European Badminton Championships for the USSR. He describes his mother as "the most important person in my career, the inspiration for my whole life."

Zilberman served in the Israel Defense Forces from August 2007 to August 2010. He lives in Ness Ziona, Israel. He also studied towards a bachelor's degree in mathematics at Tel Aviv University for two years.

Career
As to his approach to competing in badminton, Zilberman said: "I think about what the opponent playing in front of me will do against me. I must have in my performance arsenal an answer to every move of my opponent, better than what he expects."

Early years
When he was still a baby, Zilberman used to join his mother at her badminton practice, and with time he began playing himself. At the age of 12 he began his serious daily training. He began to compete in junior badminton tournaments in 2003. His club is Kfar Maccabiah. He is coached by both his parents, as his mother coaches him, and his father is head coach of Israel's national badminton team.

Zilberman won the senior Israeli Badminton Championship when he was 16 years old, in 2004. In 2006 and 2009 he played mixed doubles with his mother at the Badminton World Championships, as the Championships' first mother-son mixed doubles team.

2009–13; 2012 Olympic Games
In 2009, Zilberman first played mixed doubles with his mother, in the world championships. His mother is also his coach. He said that their relationship on court is "like any mixed doubles players," as they discuss how to improve and win the match, but that off the court "she is my coach, so there is no discussion."

In 2011, Zilberman competed for six months for the Odense badminton club in the professional league in Denmark. In April 2012 he reached the finals of the Tahiti Air Nui International, improving his world ranking by 14 places. In 2012, he won the Israeli Badminton Championship in both singles and mixed doubles (with his mother). In May 2012 he was ranked # 64 internationally.

Zilberman competed for Israel at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the first appearance by an Israeli badminton player in the Olympics. Ranked 33rd in the Olympic rankings in singles, he came in 33rd in the Games.

In July 2013, Zilberman won two gold medals at the 2013 Maccabiah Games, one in singles, one in mixed doubles with his mother. In May 2015, he competed in mixed doubles with his mother, who was 56 years old, at the 2015 Sudirman Cup in Dongguan, China.

2014–15; Lagos and Ethiopia titles
In May 2014, Zilberman won the 37th Israel Badminton Championship in Kibbutz Hatzur, without dropping a set. It was the sixth year in a row that he won the title. He also won the mixed doubles title, with his mother Svetlana.

In June 2014 he won the gold medal in the Lagos International in Nigeria, winning 60% of the points he played. In October 2014, Zilberman then won the Ethiopia International, winning 68% of the points he played. In December 2014, he won a bronze medal in the US Open.

In 2015, Zilberman won the gold medal in the Ethiopia International in September, without losing a game.

Zilberman represented Israel at the 2015 European Games in badminton in men's singles. He lost in the round of 16 to Zvonimir Đurkinjak of Croatia in three sets.

2016–19; 2016 Olympic Games; European Games bronze medal
In 2016 Zilberman won the gold medal in the Suriname International in November, winning all five of his matches, and in doubles he and his mother won the gold medal after winning all four of their matches.

Zilberman competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics in badminton. Zilberman garnered Israel's first-ever win in Olympic badminton, beating Yuhan Tan of Belgium 22-20 and 22–12, but went 1–1 in his group and did not advance to the next round. Misha ranked 26th in the Olympic rankings in singles, and came in 14th at the Olympic Games.

Zilberman won a gold medal at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in singles, and another in mixed doubles with his mother.

In 2017 Zilberman won the gold medal in the Ethiopia International in September, winning all 10 of his games, and won the mixed doubles gold medal with his mother without losing a game.

In 2018 he won the gold medal at the Lagos International in July. In 2019 Zilberman won the gold medal in the 34th Brazil International Challenge in May, winning all 10 of his games, and defeating Brian Yang of Canada in the final, and won the bronze medal in the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Belarus, in June, won the silver medal in the Lagos International in July, and won the bronze medal in the US Championship in December.

2020–23; 2020 Olympic Games; European Games and European Championships bronze medals
Zilberman competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo in badminton, in what was his third Olympics. He came in 14th at the Olympic Games, after he defeated world # 15, and 2019 world championship bronze medalist, Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati of India in straight games (he remarked: "Definitely this is the biggest win of my career"), but was defeated by world # 19 Mark Caljouw in three games. He said: "I’m playing smarter and more tactical. When I was young I used to be play a more physical game. Now I’m playing tactical, and I play fewer shots, but creating greater pressure."

At the 2022 European Badminton Championships in Madrid, Spain, in April, Zilberman won a bronze medal as he defeated Luka Ban of Croatia, Kari Gunnarson of Iceland, Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands (ranked # 26 in the world), and 2018 European Championship bronze medalist Brice Leverdez of France in the quarterfinals, before losing to 2020 Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the semi-finals.

Zilberman won the XII Santo Domingo Open 2022 in June, winning 10 of the 11 games he played.

At the BWF World Championships 2022 in August, Zilberman partnered in doubles with his mother who at the age of 64 years old became the oldest player to win a match in competition history. The two of them defeated Egyptian Olympians Adham Hatem Elgamal/Doha Hany. The next-youngest badminton player before her on the list was 38 years old.

At the 2023 European Games in Poland, Zilberman won five straight matches before losing in the semi-finals to Christo Popov of France, winning a bronze medal.

2024–present; 2024 Olympic Games
Zilberman will represent Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in badminton in the Men's singles from 27 July to 5 August 2024, at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris. It will be his fourth consecutive Olympic Games; he will be the sixth athlete in the history of the Israeli delegation to participate in four Olympics, joining the judoka Ariel Ze'evi, the sailor Yoel Sela, the artisitc gymnast Alex Shatilov, the sport shooter Guy Starik, and the synchronized swimmer Anastasia Glushkov. The Badminton World Federation ranked him in 24th place among the 43 ranked players who will compete in the Paris Olympics.

European Games
Men's singles

European Championships
Men's singles

BWF International Challenge/Series (13 titles, 10 runners-up)
Men's singles

Mixed doubles
 * BWF International Challenge tournament
 * BWF International Series tournament