A KIMEP undergrad will start this semester with two gold medals he won this summer at the Asian Pacific African Powerlifting Championships in South Africa.
Second-year business college student Timur Zharmenov won the medals in July during the championship in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where 240 athletes from 12 countries competed.
Zharmenov competed in the 66 kg weight class in the juniors division and won in the classic and equipped bench press competitions.
“I felt relieved,” Zharmenov said. “My work was justified.”
Hooked from the start
He was 14 when he first tried powerlifting, he said, and was hooked after the first lift.
He loved the sport and the idea of being strong, he said. He knew he could achieve something in this field.
“I went to the championship only with the thought that I needed to win these competitions,” he said,
“I had been preparing very hard for them,” he added, “and I did not want to lose.”
He prepared for the championship for a year in Almaty, and Shymkent during breaks from studies.
“Combining studies at KIMEP University and a career in powerlifting is not easy,” he said, “but I carefully plan my time and adhere to a certain schedule, as well as my coach and I decided to compete only at major international competitions.”
Zharmenov plans to keep training and competing at international events, bringing recognition to Kazakhstan and KIMEP globally, he said.
