Athletes from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are set to battle for the medals in the heptathlon at the 6th Asian Youth Championship, which kicked off on April 15 in Dammam — a city on the shores of the Persian Gulf in Saudi Arabia.
In the girls’ heptathlon at the 6th Asian Youth Championship, the medal contenders are emerging from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with four athletes competing — two from each country.
In the opening event, the 100m hurdles, Uzbekistan’s Sofia Nikolaeva took first place with a time of 14.16 seconds. Kazakhstan’s athletes followed closely behind: Polina Kuzubova from Shymkent clocked 14.26, and Asylzat Kydyrbay from the Kyzylorda Region finished in 15.18.
The high jump saw a major shift in the standings as Kuzubova cleared 1.70 metres, overtaking the lead and building a solid cushion of over 100 points. Nikolaeva recorded 1.58 metres for second, while Kydyrbay jumped 1.49 for third. The second Uzbek athlete failed to clear the opening height, resulting in zero points and a significant gap behind the rest of the field.
Kazakhstan’s athletes continued to dominate in the shot put, outperforming both of their Uzbek rivals. Kuzubova threw 11.84 metres, while Kydyrbay followed with 11.44 metres.
The final event of Day 1 in the heptathlon, the 200m sprint, is scheduled for the evening session. After three events, the standings are as follows:
1. Polina Kuzubova (Kazakhstan) – 2,448 points
2. Sofia Nikolaeva (Uzbekistan) – 2,237 points
3. Asylzat Kydyrbay (Kazakhstan) – 2,052 points
4. Parizot Bolbekova (Uzbekistan) – 1,390 points
Photo: April 15, Dammam. Asylzat Kydyrbay clears the bar in the high jump.
