Kazakh skiers are still on the podium

It is not the first time that Kazakhstan hosts the stages of the world championship, which, of course, pleases, since it is direct evidence that our slopes meet all international standards. This was emphasized in his speech by the Secretary General of the National Ski Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Valiev.

“Due to the unique location of the resort, we are able to hold ski competitions until the end of March. For the first time in Almaty, the stages of the Freestyle World Cup in the mogul discipline were held in 2019, the next year the southern capital again hosted the stages of the FIS World Cup in freestyle already in the parallel mogul discipline, in 2021 we organized the FIS World Championship and stages of the Freestyle World Cup in the disciplines “parallel mogul” and “ski acrobatics,” said Valiev.

However, past competitions differ from all previous ones in several respects. Even at the preliminary conference, the general director of the Shymbulak Group of Companies, Rinat Abdrakhmanov, shared the unexpected news about the launch of a new mogul track.

“In the summer of 2022, a new branch of the snowmaking system was built, the concept of a new route was approved and an additional one was launched. If earlier the track was set parallel to the main slope, this year it is located in the Sukhoi log, that is, on the other side of the ridge. The track was named Yuka G in honor of Yulia Galysheva – she is so friendly called in the sports world. In November 2022, representatives of the FIS conducted an inspection of the mogul and ski acrobatics routes, ”Abdrakhmanov said.

The second important point was that for the first time in the Republic of Kazakhstan the cup final was held, while before the slopes of the Zailiysky Alatau hosted only intermediate ones. It also highlights the fact that the Kazakh course preparation team has mastered the craft to perfection.

The past competitions turned out to be not hot in winter, because this year in Europe there were many cancellations of stages due to insufficient snow. That is, there was no opportunity to “catch up later” and get rating points. As a result, all skiers at each start gave all their best and took certain risks, which, on the one hand, made it possible to achieve excellent results, on the other hand, led to mistakes and crashes even at the qualifying stage. Approximately the same scenario was at the Kazakhstan start.

More than 150 team representatives took part in the competition, of which more than 70 athletes from 14 countries are the strongest athletes from all over the world. Throughout the season, Kazakhstan has been in a very strong position, all the time being in the top 10. At the final stage, our team was represented by seven athletes. In the mogul / parallel mogul discipline – Ayaulym Amrenova, Anton Bondarev and Pavel Kolmakov. In the discipline “ski acrobatics” – Zhanbota Aldabergenova, Ayana Zholdas, Roman Ivanov and Sherzod Khashirbaev.

The very first day of the competition brought Kazakhstan a prize medal in the “mogul” discipline – this is a downhill race along a hilly track, on which two springboards are set up to perform acrobatic elements. That is, it is important here not only to cover the distance in the shortest possible time, but also to perform an interesting trick, the points for which increase depending on the complexity and purity of the execution.

In this category, Kazakhstani athlete Pavel Kolmakov took second place with a score of 78.72 points. The first with an enviable margin went to the champion of the 2018 Olympic Games, the leader of the overall World Cup this season, Canadian Mikael Kingsbury with a score of 85.67 points. Closed the top three Australian Graham Matt (78.42).

Ayaulym was among the 16 best athletes at the stage, but in the final races she was able to show only the 12th result, and the Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont won the women’s singles.

On the second day of the competition, the eyes of the fans were again riveted to the mogul track, where the athletes competed already in a parallel descent. The Kazakhs were expecting victories, but, alas… In the absence of Yulia Galysheva and Anastasia Gorodko, Ayaulym Amrenova, who was unable to reach the final, where 16 athletes competed for victory, was left with the burden of responsibility for the result.

As an athlete from Ust-Kamenogorsk said, a small mistake stopped her a step away from the final races. In the final battle for victory and prizes, Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont and American skiers Jaelin Kauf, Olivia Giazio and Makuga Alli met. As a result, the French skier became the best, and the company on the podium was Jaelin and Olivia, who took second and third places, respectively.

In the men’s category of the parallel mogul, Kazakhstani athletes, unfortunately, also failed to show the result that was expected of them. Anton Bondarev showed only the 20th result in qualifying and could not qualify for the podium. Fans hoped for the result of Pavel Kolmakov’s performance, but already in the 1/16 finals, the Kazakhstani made a mistake on the track, and the race ended with the athlete falling at the second springboard.

On the final, third, day of the Cup, competitions were held in the discipline of “ski acrobatics”, which provides for the performance by athletes of the most difficult acrobatic jumps from a specially profiled springboard. Here, Kazakhstani freestyler Zhanbota Aldabergenova took sixth place in the final. Her jump was rated by the judges at 77.72 points. The second representative of Kazakhstan Ayana Zholdas became the ninth with a score of 65.83. Australian freestylers Laura Peel (110.36) and Danielle Scott (97.99) took first and second places in the finals of the Women’s World Cup, Canada’s Marion Teno was third (93.76).

In the men’s competitions, Kazakhstan was represented by Roman Ivanov and Sherzod Khashirbaev. Roman was in 11th place (86.71), and Sherzod was in 12th (81.41). Pirmin Werner from Switzerland (123.00) became the winner among men, followed by his compatriot Noy Roth (118.55), Canadian Emil Nadet (96.83) rounded out the top three.

Summing up, we can say that our athletes performed well and they have room to grow. Moguls now have a new track located away from the main slope of the resort, which will allow them to train without being distracted by possible interference. A new season is ahead, and we will believe that in it Kazakhstani athletes will be able to realize themselves to the fullest and show excellent results.