Kazakhstan's student Olympians honored on campus
One of the 11, law student Svetlana Podobedova, won a gold medal in the 75kg weightlifting category. The other student members of Team Kazakhstan were Ayman and Sholpan Kozhakhmetovy, Viktor Leptikov, Anastasiya Pilipenko, Nikita Filippov and Georgiy Sheyko, all competing on the athletics field; Yuliya Zhhivitsa and Elmir Alimzhanov in fencing; Gulzhan Isanova in judo; and Aleksey Shmider in water polo, the Kazakh MFA's press service said.
University Rector, Galym Mutanov, warmly congratulated the student Olympians and wished them further sporting success. He reminded the students that President Nazarbayev, in his recent interactive lecture at Nazarbayev University, had held up the example of the student Olympians and called on all students to take responsibility for their own wellbeing by leading healthy lives and participating in sport.
KazNU students are well placed to do this. The University has a comprehensive range of sporting facilities - including a stadium, a sports complex, open pitches and a dedicated PE and sports department - making it possible to pursue over 30 different sports on campus. Large numbers of KazNU students compete in national and international sporting competitions and many have gone on to represent Kazakhstan in the Asian and Olympic Games.
The student Olympians were awarded certificates and prizes before lighting the torch to start the traditional Rector's Cup sports competition.