Gold and silver of the World kettlebell Lifting Championship were won by cadets of the Karaganda Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Cadets of the Karaganda Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan named after Barimbek Beisenov Zakhar and Nazar Kovalenko won gold and silver at the World kettlebell Lifting Championship among young men, which was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The competition brought together more than two hundred athletes from eight countries – Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan and Mongolia. 18-year-old Zakhar Kovalenko competed in the weight category up to 73 kg.

– My brother Nazar and I became interested in kettlebell lifting five years ago, when we were 13. We are twins, originally from a small Krasnoyarka village, Kyzylzhar district of North Kazakhstan region. I competed in the weight category up to 73 kg, and Nazar – up to 68 kg, – says Zakhar. – It was difficult at the championship, because the strongest athletes from different countries gathered. The competition is great. But we were serious, because we understood the responsibility, because we represented the country.

Kovalenko brothers are candidates for Masters of Sports. Zakhar is a five–time champion of Kazakhstan, a two-time champion of Asia, a record holder. Having won the gold medal, he became the world champion. Nazar is a four–time champion of Kazakhstan, two-time champion of Asia. He won a silver medal at the World Championships.

– I set the first record in 2020. This is a push with a long cycle of two weights of 16 kg. I had 152 lifts. The next year I moved to another age category – older boys. There he also set a record in the weight category up to 73 kg in the exercise "pushing two weights of 24 kg". The "long cycle" exercise also has a record of 98 lifts. In 2021, I had another record in the category up to 73 kg. In the exercise "24 kg kettlebell jerk" I showed the result of 223 lifts. At the Asian Championships, he broke his own record and lifted the kettlebell 225 times in the snatch," says Zakhar.

The Kovalenko brothers are future criminologists.

– We plan to fulfill the standard of the Master of Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as to perform well at the next championships, but in a different age category – among young people. We do not intend to stop there," the cadets noted.