KAZAKHSTAN CELEBRATES ITS OLYMPIC ACHIEVEMENT

Astana, August 17: As the 2012 Olympics drew to a close in London, Kazakhstan was celebrating its spectacular achievement in the Games. With 13 medals in total, including seven gold, one silver and five bronze, Kazakhstan secured 12^th place in the unofficial team rankings.

The Games got off to a spectacular start when cyclist Aleksandr Vinokourov claimed a gold medal in the men’s road race on the first full day of competition, unleashing a wave of Olympic fever at home among Kazakhstanis of all generations.

The extent of Kazakhstan’s success took other countries by surprise and rapidly became a topic of great interest in the coverage of the Olympics. When, during the first week, Kazakhstan momentarily overtook neighbouring Russia in the unofficial team rankings, the sense of excitement among Kazakhstanis was palpable.

The final tally of 13 medals makes this the most successful Olympic Games ever for Kazakhstan. And of course, the country salutes not just the medal-winners, but every one of its Olympic contestants and their support team, for their dedication, hard work and contribution to the success of Team Kazakhstan.

The momentum kept up throughout the Games, with a fitting close for Kazakhstan when the team claimed bronze, silver and gold medals on the closing day.

Here’s how the medals were won:

July 28:  Cyclist Aleksandr Vinokourov wins a sensational gold medal in the men’s road race, outstripping the favourites to become Olympic champion.

July 29:  Zulfiya Chinshanlo takes first place in the women’s 53kg weightlifting category.  She sets a new world record in the Clean and Jerk (C&J) at 131 kg, and beats the Olympic record for the two events combined – 226 kg.

31 July:  Maiya Maneza becomes Olympic champion in the women’s 58kg weightlifting category and sets a new Olympic record for the snatch - 245 kg.

August 3: Svetlana Podobedova wins a gold medal in the women’s 75 kg weightlifting category after a closely fought contest, also setting a new Olympic record for the C&J at 161 kg.

August 4:  Ilya Ilin wins a gold medal for the second time in the men’s 94 kg weightlifting category, setting two new world records in the process - for C&J at 233 kg and for the two events combined with a total 418 kg.

August 5:  Olga Rypakova wins a gold medal in the triple jump with a distance of 14.98 metres, clearing her closest rival by 18 cms.

August 6:  Daniyal Gadzhiyev wins a bronze medal in men’s 84 kg Greco-Roman wrestling.

August 9:  Marina Volnova wins a bronze medal in the women’s middle (75 kg) boxing category - becoming the first woman from Kazakhstan to win an Olympic medal in boxing.

Gyuzel Manyurova wins a bronze medal in women’s 72kg freestyle wrestling.

August 10:  Ivan Dychko wins a bronze medal in men’s super heavy (+91 kg) boxing. 

August 12:  Akzhurek Tanatarov wins a bronze medal in men’s 66kg freestyle wrestling. 

Serik Sapiyev becomes Olympic champion in men’s welter (69 kg) boxing and is awarded the Val Barker trophy for best boxing technique at the Olympics.

Adilbek Niyazymbetov wins a silver medal in men’s light heavy (81 kg) boxing.