The past weekend saw several events that highlighted the skills of our athletes on the world stage. However, it was sure to be overshadowed by the amazing performance of our boxers at the World Boxing Championships in Tashkent, which resulted in our country's second-best result in the history of our participation.
Find out more information about this and other sports achievements in the QazMonitor's list below.
Boxing
Kazakhstan achieved its second-best result in the history of participating at the Men's World Boxing Championships
The national boxing team finished in second place at the World Championships in Tashkent, winning four gold and one silver medal.
The boxing world’s premier competition among men was held in the capital of Uzbekistan from April 30 to May 14, attracting 538 athletes from 107 countries. Team Kazakhstan participated in all 13 weight categories.
Sanzhar Tashkenbay, contesting in the minimumweight category, defeated Georgia's Sakhil Alakhverdovi to win a gold medal. Silver medalist of the previous year, Makhmud Sabyrkhan, went to the bout with Uzbekistan’s Oybek Juraev, winning the encounter and bringing the team first place in the bantamweight category.
The team's captain, Aslanbek Shymbergenov (light middleweight), faced off against another skilled boxer, Saidjamshid Jafarov, and in an intense fight clutched the victory, bringing another gold for the team. The match for the champion’s title in the light heavyweight between our own Nurbek Oralbay and China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan also ended in favor of Kazakhstan.
Dulat Bekbauov, the team's sole silver medalist, competed in the welterweight category.
The total prize fund for the 2023 IBA Men's World Boxing Championships was $5.2 million, with gold medalists receiving $200,000 each, $100,000 given to silver medalists, and $50,000 awarded to bronze medal winners.
Tennis
Elena Rybakina makes it to the fourth round of the 2023 Italian Open in Rome
World no. 6 Elena Rybakina scored an early victory over Russia's Anna Kalinskaya 4:3, who withdrew from the second set due to a sustained injury.
During the match, the Kazakh athlete took the lead 2:1 and, in the span of 35 minutes, hit three aces and made three double faults to none from her opponent. In the fourth round, Rybakina will face the Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova.
Alexander Bublik, the leader of Kazakhstan's men's team and world no. 49, lost in a tense three-set match against world no. 4, Norway's Casper Ruud. The Kazakh athlete was defeated in the third round with a score of 6:1, 4:6, 7:6 (7:0).
Both junior teams make history, advancing to the premiere tennis tournaments in Spain
Kazakhstan’s women’s and men’s U16 teams made history by qualifying for the Junior Billie Jean King Cup and Junior Davis Cup for the first time ever.
The Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying Juniors Billie Jean King Cup 2023 was held in Shymkent from May 1-6. Team Kazakhstan started off strong in the qualifying round, steamrolling both Vietnam and Iran with a score of 3:0. In the quarterfinals, Yaroslava Shvedova's charges defeated Chinese Taipei 2:0, and in the semi-finals, the young athletes beat the Cup’s five-time junior champions, team Australia, 2:0.
In the finals, team Kazakhstan went swinging, but lost to Japan with a score of 1:2. Anastasiya Krymkova won the first game against Hikari Yamamoto with a score of 6:3, 6:4, setting the pace for our team. However, Polina Sleptsova ceded to the U16 world no. 68 Shiho Tsujioka in a hard-fought battle 7:5, 6:4. In the decisive closing doubles match, the pair Ariana Gogulina and Anastasiya Krymkova were defeated by Kiko Inoue and Shiho Tsujioka with a score of 4:6, 1:6.
Right after the conclusion of the women's event, Shymkent hosted the Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying Juniors Davis Cup 2023 from May 8-13.
The junior athletes showed strong performance, consecutively defeating New Zealand and Chinese Taipei with scores of 3:0, and then securing their performance in a match with Uzbekistan with a score of 2:0. In the quarterfinals, the team rivaled with the Cup’s six-time champions, team Australia, and clutched a 2:0 victory. However, in the semifinals, team South Korea managed to defeat our athletes in an intense three-game run with a score of 2:1.
In the match for third place,Team Kazakhstan defeated Thailand 2:0. In the opening game, Zangar Nurlanuly won against Teerapat Khantiweerawat (7:5, 6:0), while Amir Omarkhanov crushed Phopthum Sriwong with a score of 6:0, 1:0.
This fall, the Spanish city of Cordoba will host both Junior Billie Jean King Cup and Junior Davis Cup, where 16 strongest junior teams among women and men will compete for the coveted trophy.
Ice Hockey
After clutching a "never-say-die" victory over Norway, Kazakhstan falls apart against the Czech Republic
The national team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Riga suffered a devastating 5:1 defeat in their second game against the Czech Republic.
Throughout the match, the Czech team demonstrated superior performance, scoring twice in the first period and twice again in the third period. Our team did manage to score one goal during a penalty in the second period, but it was not enough to catch up, leaving the overall score at 1:5.
The Czech Republic's victory places them in the top spot of Group B, alongside Canada and Switzerland, with six points each after two games. The defeat leaves our team with only two points and the fifth place in the group.
