Our Student Yerbol Khamitov Becomes Paralympic Champion

A student of Kozybayev University, Yerbol Khamitov, has won the first gold medal for Kazakhstan at the 2026 Paralympic Games. Khamitov claimed the gold in para biathlon in the 4.5 km pursuit race in the sitting category.

In the final, the Kazakhstani athlete finished with a time of 9 minutes 39.0 seconds, missing only one shot at the shooting range. This is already Yerbol Khamitov’s second medal at the current Paralympic Games. Earlier, he won bronze in the 1500-meter classical sprint in para cross-country skiing.

Yerbol is a fourth-year student at Kozybayev University, majoring in Physical Education and Sport. He already has an impressive sporting career. In 2023, Yerbol Khamitov became the world champion in seated sprint cross-country skiing, and in 2025 he won the world championship in the 12.5 km individual race and the overall Para Biathlon World Cup title.

This achievement became a historic victory for Kazakhstani sport after 31 years. The last time the Crystal Globe was brought to the country was in 1994 by skier Vladimir Smirnov. And now, a year later, Yerbol Khamitov has reached the pinnacle of sport and delivered an outstanding achievement for the country — the first Paralympic gold medal for Kazakhstan.