ASTANA — This year has been full of historic achievements for Kazakh athletes on the world stage. It has undoubtedly elevated Kazakhstan’s status in the global sports arena, breaking new records and barriers.
Achievements of Kazakh athletes in 2024. Photo credit: Collage is created by The Astana Times/Aruzhan Ualikhanova.
World Nomad Games
Kazakhstan hosted the fifth World Nomad Games in September, showcasing not only national sports but also traditions and cuisine. The event attracted global attention and was a resounding success. Kazakhstan topped the medal standings with a record 112 medals: 43 gold, 32 silver, and 37 bronze.
Opening ceremony of the fifth World Nomad Games. Photo credit: World Nomad Games’ press service.
Olympics
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, held from July 26 to Aug. 11, Kazakhstan won its first Olympic gold in judo with Yeldos Smetov’s victory in the 60-kilogram category. The country also claimed its first artistic gymnastics medal, as Nariman Kurbanov earned silver in the pommel horse final.
Judoka Yeldos Smetov wins gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo credit: olympic.kz.
Olympic debutants Islam Satpayev and Alexandra Le secured bronze in the 10-meter mixed team air rifle event, the nation’s first shooting medal since 1996. Boxer Nazym Kyzaibay, also an Olympic newcomer, won bronze.
Kazakhstan finished 43rd in the medal standings with one gold, three silver, and three bronze medals.
Paralympics
From the Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, which took place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, Kazakh athletes brought home nine medals, the best result in the nation’s history.
David Degtyarev claimed gold in men’s powerlifting in the 54-kilogram weight category. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
David Degtyarev claimed gold in men’s powerlifting in the 54-kilogram weight category, becoming Kazakhstan’s first two-time Paralympic champion. Akmaral Nauatbek won gold in para judo.
Boxing
Kazakh boxer Ablaikhan Zhussupov won gold at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where five Kazakh female boxers also triumphed.
Yeldana Talipova. Photo credit: Sali Sabirov/National Olympic Committee.
Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 knockouts) retained his International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title, defeating New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich in Sydney, maintaining his undefeated record.
Extreme
The year 2024 was remarkable with its unusual achievements as well. The Kazakh Everest Team, consisting of skyrunner Anar Burasheva and legendary climber Maksut Zhumayev, climbed the highest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest, raising Kazakhstan’s flag at 8,848 meters above sea level.
Anar Burasheva and Maksut Zhumayev conquer Mount Everest. Photo credit: Kazakh Everest Team.
Anel Sytdykova became the first Kazakh woman to swim in Antarctica, completing a 750-meter swim at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius in less than 19 minutes.
Freediver Assel Zhubanysheva set national records at the 17th International Association for the Development of Apnea (AIDA) Panglao Depth Games in the Philippines, diving 45 meters in Free Immersion and 40 meters in Constant Weight Bi-fins. She became the first Kazakh woman to reach these depths.
Chess
Karagandy chess player Alimzhan Ayapov made history by winning two gold medals at the 23rd World Individual Chess Championship hosted by the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) in Gyumri, Armenia. This is the first achievement of this level among athletes with disabilities in Kazakhstan.
Alimzhan Ayapov made history by winning two gold medals at the 23rd World Individual Chess Championship. Photo credit: Karagandy Region Department of Physical Culture and Sports.
Kazybek Nogerbek triumphed over 13 grandmasters (GM) to win the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Junior Chess Championship 2024 in Gandhinagar, India, becoming Kazakhstan’s fourth champion in this category.
Kazakh chess champion Bibisara Assaubayeva once again secured first place at the 21st international Swiss Queens Wednesday online chess tournament and won the Aeroflot Open 2024 Festival in Moscow, Russia.
Tennis
Elena Rybakina secured the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title in Stuttgart, defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. In January, Rybakina won the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane and a month later in Abu Dhabi.
Elena Rybakina wins a Porsche car at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Photo credit: Jimmie48/WTA.
Yulia Putintseva triumphed at the WTA 250 Birmingham tournament, marking her third career title and making her the first Kazakh tennis player to win this tournament.
Achievements in other types of sports
Sixteen-year-old ski jumper Ilya Mizernykh won Kazakhstan’s first gold at the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, beating 38 competitors from 21 countries. This is the first award of the highest standard in the history of the Winter Youth Olympics won by Kazakh athletes.
Ilya Mizernykh at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. Photo credit: olympic.kz.
The artistic swimming team won a historic gold medal at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim excelled in the mixed duet technical program.
Batyr Sardarbekov earned another historic gold in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) World Finals in Luxor, Egypt. This victory marks the first time in 20 years that Kazakh sports programmers have clinched the gold.
Freediver Assel Zhubanysheva. Photo credit: Zhubanysheva’s personal archieve.
Kazakhstan’s racehorse Kabirkhan made history by earning a spot at the Dubai World Cup after two victories at the Al Maktoum Challenge tournament. Despite being a newcomer to the scene, its achievement marked a significant milestone.
This year has been glorious for Kazakh athletes, poised for more extraordinary achievements next year.
