The past weekend marked several historic achievements for the national sports scene. In artistic swimming, promising athletes Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim secured Kazakhstan's first-ever gold at world-class competitions. In the speed skating team sprint category, Yekaterina Aydova, Alina Dauranova, and Inessa Shumekova earned the nation's inaugural medal.
Find out more information about this and other sports achievements in the digest by QazMonitor below.
Tennis
Bublik reigns as two-time champion at the Open Sud de France
On February 4, Alexander Bublik defeated Borna Coric 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, becoming the tournament’s two-time champion and securing his first title in 2024.
During the match, Bublik made nineteen aces and committed six doubles faults, while his opponent scored aces and had one double fault. Notably, the Kazakh player faced setbacks by losing the first sets from the round of 16 to the final round but managed to win in each match.
This is the fourth ATP title in Bublik’s career. As a result of this victory, he will attain the 23rd position in the updated ATP rankings, a career-high for the player. Previously, his highest ranking was 25th place.
Artistic swimming
Kazakh swimmers won the nation's first-ever gold medal in artistic swimming
On February 4, Nargiza Bolatova and Eduard Kim made history for Kazakhstan at the World Aquatics Championships 2024 in Doha, clinching the nation's first-ever gold in world-class artistic swimming.
The pair demonstrated an impressive performance in both musicality and technical skills during the Mixed Duet Technical event, scoring 228.0050 points, with 133.0550 attributed to elements and 94.9500 to artistic impression. China secured the second place, while Mexico claimed the third spot.
Speaking after the competition, Bolatova said, “I cannot explain what I feel, it is a mix of everything,” adding, “I think this medal is a great surprise to all of us. We made history today with this gold. I cannot believe this is happening, the emotions are very strong.” Echoing the sentiments of his partner, Kim said that neither of them had expected to become the world champions.
Both athletes collectively boast over thirty medals, Bolatova holding thirteen (one gold, five silver, and seven bronze), while Kim has earned eighteen medals (two gold, five silver, and eleven bronze).
Judo
Nurlykhan Sharkhan puts Kazakhstan on the medal table at Paris Grand Slam 2024
Kazakh judoka Nurlykhan Sharkhan secured a bronze medal in the under 100 kg category, defeating Daniel Eich from Switzerland at Paris Grand Slam 2024.
On February 2-4, the capital of France hosted one of judo's grand slams, drawing 621 athletes from 107 countries. Team Kazakhstan was well-represented, with fourteen judokas participating in the event.
Speed skating
Kazakh athletes bag ten medals at the Junior World Cup Speed Skating
Kazakh athletes showcased an impressive performance at the Junior World Cup Speed Skating in the Japanese city of Hachinohe, securing a total of ten medals across various competitions.
The third stage of the Junior World Cup took place on February 3-4, attracting athletes from twenty-one countries. The national team was represented by fifteen speed skaters.
On February 3, the athletes earned the following medals:
In the 1000m Women Neo-seniors category, Margarita Artemjeva secured silver, with Mariya Kuznetsova rounding off the top three
The Team Sprint Women Juniors event: Alina Shumekova, Darja Gavrilova, and Kristina Shumekova earned silver
The Team Sprint Women Neo-seniors category: Alena Lifatova, Mariya Kuznetsova, and Margarita Artemjeva clinched gold
In the Team Sprint Men Juniors event, Ruslan Zjanadilov, Andrey Semenov, and Mikhail Gluchshenko earned bronze
The Team Sprint Men Neo-seniors category: Ruslan Zjanadilov, Abdumalik Askar, and Kudajbergen Temirzjanov earned bronze
On February 4, the athletes earned the following medals:
In the Mass Start Women Neo-seniors Final, Margarita Artemjeva earned silver
The 1500m Women Neo-seniors category: Alena Lifatova secured a bronze medal
For the 500m Women Neo-seniors event, Margarita Artemjeva earned gold, with Mariya Kuznetsova rounding off the top three
In addition, in the sixth stage of World Cup Speed Skating in Canadian Quebec, the Kazakh speed skaters achieved another milestone by winning a bronze medal for the first time in the team sprint category. Yekaterina Aydova, Alina Dauranova, and Inessa Shumekova secured third place in the Team Sprint Women Division A event.
Women's boxing
Women’s boxing carries Kazakhstan at BOXAM International Tournament 2024
The national women’s boxing team won nine medals in total at the BOXAM International Tournament 2024 in the Spanish city of La Nucia, carrying Kazakhstan to fifth place in the overall standings.
From January 29 to February 4, La Nucia hosted the BOXAM International Tournament, where Kazakhstan fielded both men's and women's teams. However, the men's team faced disappointment as they failed to secure victories in any bouts.
The following athletes earned medals for the national women's boxing team:
Zhazira Urakbayeva (under 52 kg) – gold
Lazzat Kungeibayeva (above 81 kg) – gold
Aigerim Sattibayeva (under 48 kg) – silver
Nazym Kyzaibay (under 50 kg) – silver
Anel Sakysh (under 54 kg) – silver
Aida Abikeyeva (under 63 kg) – silver
Gulsaya Yerzhan (under 75 kg) – silver
Fariza Sholtay (under 81 kg) – silver
Overall, with two gold and seven silver medals, team Kazakhstan finished fifth in the overall medal standings, trailing behind England (three gold and six bronze medals), the Philippines and Italy (four gold medals each), and Uzbekistan (four gold and two bronze medals). By total medal count, Kazakhstan and England share second place, while Spain with fourteen medals in total takes the lead.
