Kazakhstan at the 2018 Winter Paralympics facts for kids
Kazakhstan sent a team of amazing athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics! These exciting games took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Seven people from Kazakhstan, including one guide skier, traveled to compete. All of them were competing in a sport called para-Nordic skiing. The team had six men and one woman. For three of these athletes, it was their very first time at the Paralympic Games! Their coach, Vasily Kolomyjets (Kazakh: Василий Коломиец), helped them get ready. The team worked hard for two whole years to prepare for this big event.
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Meet Team Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's team for the 2018 Winter Paralympics included six athletes and one guide skier. They all competed in para-Nordic skiing, which is a type of cross-country skiing for athletes with disabilities. The team was made up of six men and one woman. Three of these athletes were brand new to the Paralympic Games. Their coach, Vasily Kolomyjets, guided them through their training.
Here are the brave athletes who represented Kazakhstan at the 2018 Games:
| Name | Sport | Gender | Classification | Events | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhanyl Baltabateva (Kazakh: Балтабаева Жаныл) | para-Nordic skiing | female | LW12 | ||
| Alexandr Gerlits (Kazakh: Герлиц Александр) | para-Nordic skiing | male | LW6 | ||
| Kairat Kanafin (Kazakh: Канафин Қайрат) | para-Nordic skiing | male | B2 | ||
| Alexandr Kolyadin (Kazakh: Колядин Александр) | para-Nordic skiing | male | LW4 | ||
| Denis Petrenko (Kazakh: Петренко Денис) | para-Nordic skiing | male | LW11 | ||
| Sergey Ussoltsev (Kazakh: Усольцев Сергей) | para-Nordic skiing | male | LW12 | ||
| Anton Zhdanovich (Kazakh: Жданович Антон) | para-Nordovich | male | guide skier |
Preparing for the Games
Kazakhstan did not compete in sledge hockey in 2018. However, the country is looking ahead to the future. They hope to have a sledge hockey team in upcoming games. To help with this, Kazakhstan started a special program in early 2018. Also, a big company called Toyota became a sponsor in October 2017. This sponsorship helps the team with equipment and training.
Training for Para-Nordic Skiing
Two years before the 2018 Games, Kazakhstan decided they wanted to win medals. They started a two-year plan of training to achieve this goal. The team spent almost a year training in Germany. This was a key part of their preparation for the games in South Korea.
Unique Training Methods
The athletes used special snow tunnels during the summer months. This allowed them to train in winter conditions all year long! When they weren't on snow, they also trained using bicycles. Thanks to their sponsors, many team members received new prostheses (artificial body parts) while in Germany.
Alexandr Kolyadin was very happy with his new prosthetic. He said, "They created a new prosthesis. When I got it, I tried it. Now I am accustomed to using it. I think I will win by using it in the race. It takes time to learn new technology. But there is 100% control - I like it."
Competitions and Final Prep
The team also traveled to Russia for World Cup events. They did more training there. They also went to a competition in Finland. The team returned to Almaty, Kazakhstan, three weeks before the Games began. This gave them time for extra training at home.
The national team had about fifteen people in total. However, only seven were chosen to go to South Korea. The athletes on the team were between 27 and 40 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Kazajistán en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Pyeongchang 2018 para niños
