Kazakh weightlifters earned four medals at the April 8-12 World Youth Championship in Lima, Peru.
Igor Son
Tatyana Kapustina
Igor Song and Tatyana Kapustina won gold medals, Aigerim Aulbek took silver and Shyngys Sagyndykov won a bronze medal, while Igor Schwartz and Arystanbek Zhakansha both took eighth place in their weight categories, according to vesti.kz.
Song was the first to win gold for Kazakhstan in the 50 kilogrammes category. Song had previous high-level competition experience from competing in 2013 through 2014, but had failed to enter the top 10. Later, Song topped the list of athletes on his team, then became Asian youth champion and now world champion.
Aigerim Aulbek
Kapustina travelled to the championship as an experienced athlete, having participated in the Youth Olympics and youth championships before.
Kazakhstan established itself as a powerhouse in the weightlifting world at the 2012 London Summer Olympics by winning four gold medals. And the national team has included two-time Olympic and four-time world champion Ilya Ilyin. Today, on the threshold of the next summer Olympics in Rio 2016, as the stakes and pressure are higher, the country is betting on new talents and has shifted its efforts to producing new champions to strengthen its positions.
