ASTANA — Twelve renowned Kazakh athletes were featured in an article on the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics website.
Paris on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games. Photo credit: olympic.kz
According to the Olympics’ official website, the list includes the winners of the World Championships and the 2020 Olympics.
Boxing
Kazakhstan will be represented in boxing by Nazym Kyzaibai (50 kilograms). The 2014 and 2016 world champion in the weight category up to 48 kilograms, Kyzaibai, fulfilled her dream of competing in the Olympic Games. The tournament in Paris will be her first Olympic competition.
Valentina Khalzova (75 kilograms) will also debut at the games. Her achievements include the world champion title in 2016 in the category of up to 69 kilograms, the bronze medal of the World Championship 2022 in the same category, and the gold medal of the World Cup 2023 in the category of up to 75 kilograms.
Saken Bibossinov. Photo credit: olympic.kz
Saken Bibossinov (51 kilograms) is another national team boxer who has participated in the Olympic Games. In 2021, he secured a bronze in Tokyo, winning in the category up to 52 kilograms. He is also the 2021 world champion, the 2022 world silver medalist, and the bronze medalist of the 2019 and 2021 World Championships.
Judo
In judo, Abiba Abuzhakynova (48 kilograms), the third-ranked in the world, will debut at the Games in Paris. Over the past two years, Abuzhakynova has won bronze at the World Championships in 2022 and 2024.
Eldos Smetov. Photo credit: olympic.kz
Experienced Olympic judoka Eldos Smetov (60 kilograms) won silver in the 60-kilogram category in Rio 2016. Five years later, in Tokyo, he won bronze. His collection includes gold at the 2015 World Championship and bronze at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships.
Gymnastics
Milad Karimi is a gymnast specializing in all-around categories. At the 2023 World Cup, he brought the first award to the Kazakhstan national team in 26 years, becoming the bronze medalist in floor exercises. Karimi also competed in the Tokyo Games.
Athletics
Norah Jeruto, a long-distance runner originally from Kenya, obtained the right to perform for the national team of Kazakhstan in January 2022. The same year, Jeruto brought her team gold at the World Championships, setting a championship record.
Norah Jeruto. Photo credit: NBC Sports
Fencing
Ruslan Kurbanov, representing Kazakhstan in fencing, became the first athlete from Kazakhstan to win the World Fencing Championship award at the 2023 World Championship. He also won a bronze medal in the skewer tournament. The 2024 Olympics will be the second in his career.
Ruslan Kurbanov. Photo credit: olympic.kz
Greco-Roman wrestling
Aidos Sultangali (60 kilograms) has twice climbed the world championships podium in Greco-Roman wrestling. He became the bronze medalist of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the category of up to 60 kilograms. The Olympic Games in Paris will be his first, which he has been dreaming about for 15 years.
Aidos Sultangali. Photo credit: olympic.kz
Demeu Zhadraev is another wrestler in the category of up to 71 kilograms. He was the silver medalist of the 2017 World Championship in his category. Zhadraev competed at the Tokyo Games in the category of up to 77 kilograms and obtained the right to compete in Paris.
Freestyle wrestling
Azamat Dauletbekov, a freestyle wrestler (86 kilograms), will compete in his first Olympic games in 2024. He was a bronze medalist at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
Photo credit: olympic.kz
Tennis
Elena Rybakina is the first Kazakh tennis player to be ranked in the world’s top 10. At the 2020 games, she took fourth place. She won Wimbledon in 2022 and became a finalist at the Australian Open in 2023. At the moment, she is the fourth-ranked racket in the world.
Elena Rybakina. Photo credit: olympic.kz
