Kazakhstan is aiming high in the Paris Olympics
Kazakhstan started not so good enough at the Asian Games in Hangzhou but due to their great run at the 1st and 2nd World Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events, the Central Asian boxing power finally achieved ten quotas for the Paris Olympics.
Kazakhstan separated from the Soviet Union in 1991 and their independent Kazakh Boxing Federation was established in 1992. The independent Kazakhstan attended in seven editions of the Olympics and proved impressive performance in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021 Games.
The independent Kazakhstan produced 24 medals between 1996 and 2021 in the boxing events of the Olympic Games. Kazakhstan is No.9 in the current Olympic boxing all-time medal table with seven gold, seven silver and ten bronze medals in spite of the fact their boxers could represent the independent country only six editions from 1996 until 2021.
Their first participation in the Olympic Games was the Atlanta 1996 edition with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Their first Olympic gold medal was taken by Vasiliy Zhirov at the light heavyweight (81kg) in Atlanta.
Mr. Yermakhan Ibraimov achieved bronze in 1996 which he changed into gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Bekzat Sattarkhanov was only 20 when he claimed gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games but he had a car crash and died a few months later.
The World Champion and Asian Champion Bolat Dzhumadilov earned two medals in the Olympic Games and advanced to the finals in Atlanta and also in Sydney but he lost both of his title contests. Bolat Niyazymbetov, Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov, professional star Gennadiy Golovkin, and Serik Yeleuov were their further medallists in 1996, in 2000 and in 2004.
Kazakhstan dominated the welterweight between in the Olympic Games between 2004 and 2016 making an amazing record in that category. Bakhtiyar Artayev, Bakhyt Sarsekbayev, Serik Sapiyev and Daniyar Yeleussinov each won the gold medals at the welterweight in four editions of the Olympic Games. Kazakhstan’s recent star, Daniyar Yeleussinov won the gold medal at the welterweight (69kg) in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and became the fourth-in-a-row from his strong nation who could win the title in this category.
The Kazakhs achieved only two bronze medals in the last Tokyo Olympics in boxing therefore their objective is to regain their place in the top of the podium in Paris. The Tokyo bronze medallists as Saken Bibossynov and Kamshybek Kunkabayev both qualified for the upcoming Paris edition where Kazakhstan will cover all of the seven male weight categories.
Three of their strong female boxers as the former World Champion Nazym Kyzaibay (50kg), the Asian Champion Karina Ibragimova (57kg) and Valentina Khalzova (75kg) have also qualified for the Paris Olympics.
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