Abzal Azhgaliyev (born 30 June 1992) is a

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

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 concept i ...

podiums, he is the most decorated Kazakh skater.

Early life

Azhgaliyev was born in 1992 in

Uralsk Uralsk (russian: Уральск) 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'' ...

, 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 Sports Classification System of the USSR (russian: Единая Всесоюзная спортивная классификация) is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for both athletes an ...

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 among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...

. 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 and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, the ...

, 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 ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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

Nur-Sultan Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

, 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 (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) 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 h ...

. His first winter games were in

Sochi, Russia Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents i ...

, 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 S ...

, 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 ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, 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 (russian: Виктор Ан; born Ahn Hyun-soo ( ko, 안현수) on November 23, 1985),. is a South Korean-born Russian short-track speed skating coach and retired short-track speed skater. With a total of eight Olympic medals, six go ...

, 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