Silver medals were won by kickboxers of the Karaganda region at the World Cup in Hungary

The silver medalists were kickboxers of Karaganda region Bekbolat Akim and Ruslan Stepanov at the World Cup in Hungary. They represented Kazakhstan as part of the national team.

Bekbolat Akim is a native of Balkhash. He is 23 years old. He is an amateur athlete. Since childhood I have been engaged in boxing, and a year and a half ago I became interested in kickboxing. In such a short time, he managed to become a prize-winner of many international championships and tournaments.

– I work as a firefighter-rescuer. Last year he won the third place at the World Cup, which was held in Turkey. He became the second at the Asian Championship in Thailand. He is also a bronze medalist of the international tournament in Uzbekistan," says Bekbolat. – I had three difficult fights at the World Cup in Budapest. In the first sparring I went against a fighter from Great Britain, in the second I met with an athlete from Slovakia. In the final, he lost to a kickboxer from Finland and won second place in the weight category of 63 kilograms. Now I am preparing for the championship of Kazakhstan and selection for the World Cup.

Ruslan Stepanov is 24 years old. He lives in Karaganda and works as a methodologist at a specialized children's and youth sports school of martial arts. He has been engaged in kickboxing for 19 years. Performs in the weight category of 81 kilograms.

– I am a master of sports of international class. Winner of world cups, international competitions and tournaments. I fought the first two fights in Budapest, but in the final I lacked one point, and I took second place," Ruslan says. – Now I am preparing for the World Games, which will be held in October in Saudi Arabia. I also plan to perform at the Kazakhstan Championship and the World Championship in Portugal.