As in other sports, in track and field the youth category includes athletes up to 23 years old. However, at the VI Republican Youth Games, the team representing Turkestan Region will include several athletes who are only 16-17 years old.
At the VI Republican Youth Games, track and field competitions will be held from June 19 to 21 in Almaty Region at the Olympic Training Center stadium.
Turkestan Region will be represented by 10 athletes:
– Dastan Balgimbaev – 100 and 200 meters;
– Baidibek Yelubai – 400 and 800 meters;
– Nurgisa Kurbanbai – 800 and 1500 meters;
– Beksultan Yelikbaev – shot put;
– Nurdaulet Maman – javelin throw;
– Shadiyar Kulatai – javelin throw;
– Ulbolsyn Yesirkep – javelin throw;
– Aigerim Manasbai – javelin throw;
– Aruzhan Altybai – 400-meter hurdles;
– Uldanai Abylkhan – 3000-meter steeplechase and 10,000 meters.
In the men’s events, Turkestan athletes will compete in 7 disciplines. In the women’s events, the region will be represented in 4 disciplines.
Only Beksultan Yelikbaev, competing in the shot put, has reached the youth age category. The rest are competing in junior and youth categories. In February, Beksultan first won a silver medal at the 34th Kazakhstan Indoor Championship among adults with a result of 14.99 meters, and the following week he won the national youth indoor championship with 14.96 meters.
In the junior age group (under 20), Nurdaulet Maman won the javelin throw at the Kazakhstan Winter Championship, held in late March in Almaty, with a result of 54.06 meters. Uldanai Abylkhan won two medals in February at the Kazakhstan Junior Indoor Championships – a bronze in the 1500 meters (4:57.10) and a gold in the 2000-meter steeplechase (7:38.50).
Five athletes from the Youth Games team also competed at the Asian U18 Championships in mid-May. Two of them won medals, both in the javelin throw. Ulbolsyn Yesirkep won the girls’ competition with 40.54 meters. Shadiyar Kulatai took second place in the boys’ competition with 56.71 meters.
In general, the athletes representing Turkestan Region already have competition experience at the national level and have won medals. Therefore, the Youth Games represent a new challenge, and it is important that both the athletes and their coaches properly assess the results and draw the right conclusions for further development.
In the photo: At the Kazakhstan Youth Championships, Shadiyar Kulatai won the silver medal in the javelin throw.
