Astana sprinters claimed two medals—gold and silver—in the men’s 100 metres at the 6th Youth Games. A representative from the Karaganda Region also made it onto the podium.
Despite a less-than-perfect start in the final race, Ruslan Kurmanaliev from Astana gained ground metre by metre, closing in on the frontrunners. By the second half of the race, only the finish line lay ahead of him. Increasing his speed, Ruslan eventually created a noticeable gap between himself and the nearest challengers.
Finishing second was another Astana runner, Beibarys Batyruly, who literally “scraped” the silver medal from Danil Popov of the Karaganda Region. At the finish line, only one-hundredth of a second separated them.
Notably, Kurmanaliev, Popov, and Batyruly posted the fastest times during the morning heats on 19 June. They were also considered the main contenders, holding the best personal records.
During the evening session, strong winds sweeping through the stadium of the Olympic Training Centre in the Almaty Region prevented the finalists from surpassing their morning performances. Nevertheless, the wind did nothing to dull the intensity of the showdown among sprinters from six regions—Astana, Shymkent, Almaty, and the Karaganda, Almaty, and Kostanay regions.
6th Youth Games. Athletics. 19 June, Almaty Region. Olympic Training Centre Stadium
Men’s 100 Metres Final:
Ruslan Kurmanaliev (Astana) – 10.86
Beibarys Batyruly (Astana) – 11.08
Danil Popov (Karaganda Region) – 11.09
In the photo: No. 46 – Ruslan Kurmanaliev, No. 48 – Beibarys Batyruly
