Israel's Svetlana Zilberman becomes oldest player to win match at BWF World Championships

Israeli badminton player Svetlana Zilberman has become the oldest player to win a match at the BWF World Championship on Monday. Teaming up with her son, the 64-year-old claimed a 16-21, 21-18, 21-11 win against the Egyptian pair of Adham Hatem Elgamal and Doha Hany in the Round of 64 at the BWF World Championships 2022, currently underway at Tokyo. Having made her competition debut in 2009, Svetlana scripted history by winning her first ever opening round match at the World Championships. 

BWF took to their official Twitter handle to celebrate the Israeli pair’s win. “#MondayMotivation At 64 years old, Svetlana Zilberman has won her first #BWFWorldChampionships opening round match. She made her competition debut in 2009,” BWF media said. Courtesy of the first-round win, the mother-son duo will now lock horns against Lai Pei Jing and Tan Kian Meng of Malaysia in the Round of 32 on Tuesday.

Know more about Svetlana Zilberman-

Born on May 10, 1958, Zilberman won her first opening round match at the age of 64 years, three months, and 12 days on August 22, 2022. While she tops the chart, the next oldest player to win a match was Mathew Fogarty, who was 46 years, eight months, and 28 days old. During her long-running illustrious career, Zilberman has achieved many laurels in the sport.

A look at Svetlana Zilberman's celebratory career-

Her first major win was a bronze medal in the women's singles event at the 1986  European Badminton Championships. She is also known for winning the Israeli National Badminton Championships for 17 times in the women's singles and doubles events while winning the mixed doubles event 21 times.

More achievements of Svetlana Zilberman-

Meanwhile, teaming up with her son, Svetlana won the Suriname International tournament in 2016 with scores of 21-14, 21-15 against Alistair Espinoza and Solangel Guzman. The pair also won the Lagos International 2017 after winning against Duarte Nuno Anjo and Sofia Setim with scores of 20-22, 21-16, and 21-7. At the same time, the pair also won the Ethiopia International 2017 and finished as runners-up in the Zambia International 2017.