Kazakhstanis turned out in large numbers to welcome home gymnast Nariman Kurbanov from the Paris Olympics, where the 26-year-old ethnic Uyghur won a silver medal in the Men’s Pommel Horse – the first gymnastics medal for the Central Asian nation in the 30 years it has competed as an independent country.
Kurbanov, who has been a gymnast since the age of 6 and holds degrees in coaching and law, was met at Almaty airport Wednesday by Kazakhstani sports officials and community leaders and activists representing the nearly 300,000 Uyghurs in Kazakhstan.
"It's been a few days since the finals of the Olympics, but I still can't fully grasp the significance of my medal,” he told Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
“My fans and sports enthusiasts from all over the country and abroad are not only congratulating me, but also expressing their gratitude for the joy I've brought them,” he added.
“My parents and relatives were overjoyed to see my success. In particular, my father, who has always been by my side, is delighted by this blessing and feels as if he is in seventh heaven,” said Kurbanov, whose father coached him for much of his early career.
In the Aug. 3 finals in Paris, Kurbanov scored 15.433 points, falling by a tenth of a point to Irish gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan, with 15.533 points.
“The entire population of Kazakhstan, including the Uyghurs, expected and believed that Nariman would earn a medal at the Olympics. Now, Nariman has won the silver medal and justified our confidence,” Bahar Rejapova, a Uyghur youth activist from Kazakhstan, told RFA.
He noted that Kurbanov had become widely known in Kazakhstan since started competing in international competitions in 2018 or earlier and winning world titles.
“I am not exaggerating when I say that his efforts and determination will serve as a great role model for us, the youth,” Bahar said.
Veteran Kazakhstani trainer Tursun Sadirov told RFA Kurbanov’s silver medal was “a great honor for our country and our people” which called to mind the earliest medalists, including many Uyghurs, from the days when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union and competed under the USSR flag. Independent Kazakhstan competed in its first summer games in Atlanta in 1996.
“When I saw and heard Nariman carrying the blue flag of Kazakhstan, I was very happy and I thanked him, his parents, and coaches,” Tursun told RFA.
“I express my gratitude to our young people like Nariman, who are introducing Kazakh sports to the world, and wish them great success."
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The performance in Paris by Kurbanov, who is credited with inventing the difficult pommel move called "the Kurbanov," has also reverberated among the Uyghur diaspora.
“His silver medal achievement brings great joy to us all. For the Uyghur community, this is especially significant,” said Alimjan Hamrayev, a Uyghur professor and head of the Euro-Asia Uyghur Academy in Almaty.
“Nariman Kurbanov’s success has greatly contributed to strengthening Uyghur-Kazakh friendship. His accomplishment has reinforced our historic bonds,” he told RFA.
Kurbanov told RFA in an telephone interview Friday that support from Uyghurs around the world is "very nice."
"When I go on the world stage, I represent Kazakhstan, our entire country, but since I am a Uyghur, I feel the Uyghurs' concern about me in Kazakhstan, and in Europe, and in America, and in Australia," he said.
"Everyone is sending me greetings from all over the world. All the Uyghurs are rooting for me, congratulating me, and it is very nice. It makes me very proud of our entire nation."
Translated by Alim Seytoff. Edited by Paul Eckert.