Abzal Azhgaliyev (born 30 June 1992) is a Kazakh male short-track speed skater. He has competed in three Winter Olympic Games and is the first short-track skater from Kazakhstan to win a World Cup event. Holding eight

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

podiums, he is the most decorated Kazakh skater.

Early life

Azhgaliyev was born in 1992 in

Uralsk Uralsk () is the name of several rural localities in Russia: * Uralsk, Republic of Bashkortostan, a '' selo'' in Uralsky Selsoviet of Uchalinsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan * Uralsk, Orenburg Oblast, a ''selo'' in Iriklinsky Settle ...

, West Kazakhstan. He started skating at age nine when a recruiter came to his school and encouraged boys to try the sport. At age eleven he tried short track and loved the speed of it. He left secondary school and moved to a special school where he could focus on his training. He graduated from the Kazakh Academy of Sport and Tourism with a degree in sports education.

Career

His coaches are Madygali Karsybekov, Zhasulan Mukhambetkaliev, and Pyotr Gamidov. Azhgaliyev's first international competition was in Moscow in 2006. It hooked him on the sport. In 2007, Azhgaliyev was designated

Master of Sports Unified All-Russian Sports Classification () is a system which regulates the Russian physical education system requirements for both athletes and coaches. History In the Soviet period Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR () exist ...

of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2011, Azhgaliyev was on the relay team that won the bronze medal in the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

. Azhgaliyev was the first Kazakh skater to win a World Cup event when he medaled in the 500m in 2016 in

Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, United States. His time was 40.373 seconds. He received the title of Master of Sports of International Class of the Republic of Kazakhstan. With state funding, Azhgaliyev and the other members of the national relay team trained in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. However, he professed to prefer training in Kazakhstan, instead. He prefers to be with family. Now he trains in

Nur-Sultan Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

, where new facilities have been constructed. Russian skaters Semen Elistratov and Dmitry Migunov train in Nur-Sultan with the Kazakh team. He has skated three times in the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

. His first winter games were in

Sochi, Russia Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Southern Russia, with a population ...

, in 2014, where he skated in the Men's 5000 Meters Relay. The team took fifth place. He was the flagbearer in the 2018 Winter Olympics in

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

, Korea, where he was also the captain of the Kazakh National Olympic Team. He competed in the Men's 5000 Meters Relay. In 2022, Azhgaliyev was once again the flagbearer for Kazakhstan. In

Beijing, China Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, he competed in the 500m Men's event, as well as the Mixed Team Relay team with Adil Galiakhmetov, Denis Nikisha, Yana Khan, and Olga Tikhonova. Their relay team placed fifth. His athletic heroes include Russia's

Viktor An Viktor An (; born Ahn Hyun-soo () on November 23, 1985),. is a South Korean-born Russian Short track speed skating, short-track speed skating coach and retired short-track speed skater. With a total of eight Olympic medals, six gold and two bro ...

, Canadian

Charles Hamelin Charles Hamelin (born April 14, 1984) is a Canadian retired short track speed skater. In a competitive career that spanned nearly twenty years on the international circuit, Hamelin participated in five Winter Olympic Games (2006, 2010, 2014, 2 ...

, and China's Wang Meng.

Personal life

He enjoys playing video games and watching soccer. His favorite teams are FC Akzhayik Uralsk and FC Barcelona. Before big races, he likes to have dinner with friends and family.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Azhgaliyev, Abzal 1992 births Living people Kazakhstani male short-track speed skaters Olympic short-track speed skaters for Kazakhstan Short-track speed skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Short-track speed skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Short-track speed skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics Asian Games medalists in short-track speed skating Asian Games gold medalists for Kazakhstan Asian Games silver medalists for Kazakhstan Asian Games bronze medalists for Kazakhstan Short-track speed skaters at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Short-track speed skaters at the 2025 Asian Winter Games Medalists at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Medalists at the 2025 Asian Winter Games Winter World University Games medalists in short-track speed skating FISU World University Games silver medalists for Kazakhstan FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Kazakhstan Medalists at the 2017 Winter Universiade Sportspeople from Oral, Kazakhstan 21st-century Kazakhstani sportsmen