There’s no beating Zems — unless you’re another Zems. That’s the best way to sum up the men’s 100m final on July 10, the opening day of the Kazakhstan Athletics Championships.
The competition is taking place at the Olympic Training Centre stadium in Almaty Region. In the men’s 100m final, athletes had to run into a strong headwind of 3.3 m/s. While the blustery conditions certainly affected times, they did nothing to stop the experienced Vitaliy Zems. The 29-year-old sprinter from Karagandy Region seized the lead from the very start and powered through to a commanding victory.
Taking second was a rising star — 19-year-old junior Ruslan Kurmanaliev from Astana. He managed to outrun more seasoned and decorated rivals: 24-year-old Almat Tulebayev from Almaty and 30-year-old Damir Sutzhanov from Pavlodar, edging them out by 0.03 and 0.05 seconds, respectively. Notably, fifth and sixth place also went to young athletes: Beybarys Batyruly from Astana, who turns 17 next week, and Danil Popov from Karagandy Region, now 19.
At these championships, Vitaliy Zems proved he is currently the Zeus of Kazakhstan’s sprinting — the strongest Olympian god of Greek mythology. But the younger generation is already knocking on the door. Ruslan Kurmanaliev has carved his path to the podium, and Beybarys Batyruly and Danil Popov are charging right behind him.
July 10, 2025 – Kazakhstan Athletics Championships. Men’s 100m Final.
- Vitaliy Zems (Karagandy Region) – 10.82
- Ruslan Kurmanaliev (Astana) – 11.02
- Almat Tulebayev (Almaty) – 11.05
In the photo: July 10, 2025. Men’s 100m final.
No. 44 – Almat Tulebayev (3rd place)
No. 46 – Ruslan Kurmanaliev (2nd place)
No. 23 – Vitaliy Zems (1st place)
No. 48 – Beybarys Batyruly (5th place)
Photo by Konstantin Knyazevich.
