“I feel as though I competed decently,” Finesilver told The Jerusalem Post. “I felt better as the day wenton, though. Lots of work to still be done. I would love to represent Israel at the Olympics, but I still needto qualify [in] the weight first. Those tournaments will be held in March and April.”He is the first Israeli to win a medal at the competition in nearly a decade.The US-born Finesilver prevailed over Azerbaijan’s Joshgun Azimov 2-1 for the bronze medal. His 5-2 win overPoland’s Kamil Rybicki to enter the bronze medal round was a thriller that prompted FloWrestling journalistDavid Bray to tweet: “Mitch Finesilver will wrestle for bronze. Looked solid in that last match.”Finesilver beat Azerbaijan’s Gadzhimurad Omarov 4-2 in his opening match. Azerbaijan produces some of theworld’s top wrestlers.Kyle Dake, a two-time world champion from the US, defeated Finesilver 11-0 in the second round. Dake went onto win the Henri Deglane tournament.In his “wrestleback” bracket match, where wrestlers who were defeated on the way to the finals seek to securea bronze medal, Finesilver prevailed over his French opponent Charles Afa 12-1. Finesilver sported a red andwhite singlet with a Star of David on his wrestling uniform.The tournament in Nice is named after Henri Deglane (1902-1975), who was a French Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.Finesilver earned All-American status as a Duke University grappler at the 2019 National Collegiate AthleticAssociation Wrestling Championships.“It’s an unbelievable [feeling] honestly,” Finesilver told GoDuke.com at the time. “I worked my whole careerand whole life for this. Lots and lots of hard work. Lots of late nights. Lots of workouts. A lot of blood,tears and sweat. To reach, at least some degree, my goal is pretty awesome and unbelievable.”The Duke Chronicle said: “The start of the 2019-2020 season marks the beginning of the end of the Finesilverera of Duke wrestling.”Finesilver has a fraternal twin brother, Zach, who also wrestled for Duke.A second set of fraternal twins from the family, Josh and Matt Finesilver, currently compete for Duke, aprestigious university in Durham, North Carolina.The Duke Blue Devils, wrote the paper, “enjoyed two years of having four gritty and talented wrestlers allfrom the same household.”Finesilver was a two-time Colorado State champion and four-time state qualifier. The 149-pound wrestler wasnamed the 2018-19 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He also received an ACCpostgraduate scholarship. Finesilver majored in evolutionary anthropology.Mitch Finesilver will wrestle for bronze. Looked solid in that last match.
— David Bray (@_davidbray) January 16, 2021
Israeli wrestler captures bronze medal at elite French competition
The American-born Finesilver earned All-American status as a Duke University grappler at the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association wrestling championship.
