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Turkmen athletes made history by earning their first-ever medals at the Central Asian Badminton Championship, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The competition brought together 97 players from seven nations: Turkmenistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia.
The tournament featured three age groups: U15, U17, and U23. According to the Turkmenistan Badminton Federation, the country's first medal came in the girls' U15 doubles category.
Anastasiya Kulikova and Evelina Yefremova clinched the bronze after defeating opponents from Kyrgyzstan in the round of 16 and then beating the Tajikistan pair in the quarterfinals. Despite a loss to Iran in the semifinal, the duo secured third place according to the tournament rules — marking Turkmenistan’s debut medal in international badminton.
A second bronze came in the mixed doubles U23 division, where Billal Sariyev and Gulshen Amanova overcame a team from Kyrgyzstan before falling to Kazakhstan in the semifinal, earning them a place on the podium.
Alongside the matches, officials from participating countries held talks to strengthen cooperation in badminton. Additionally, the Asian Badminton Federation organized a training seminar focused on gender equality, with two Turkmen coaches attending.
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One of the major sporting events in Turkmenistan, the Turkmenistan Tennis Cup, was held at the multifunctional sports complex of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports. The tournament brought together 72 athletes from across Turkmenistan, including Ahal, Dashoguz, Lebap, Mary regions, and the city of Ashgabat. Among them were 47 male and 25 female players.
The competition was jointly organized by the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of Turkmenistan and the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan and was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Permanent Neutrality. The event was reported by the “Altyn Asyr” electronic newspaper.
The men’s singles final featured an intense match between national team coach of Turkmenistan, 30-year-old Yuriy Rogusskiy, and his trainee Allanur Dayanjov. The match lasted over three hours and was decided only in extra play. After exchanging set victories, Allanur Dayanjov secured a dramatic win in the final set, earning his first-ever Turkmenistan Cup title.
The third-place match saw Meýlis Orazmuhammedov defeat Didar Wepamyradov, completing the list of medal winners. Orazmuhammedov is also known in Turkmenistan as a coach contributing to the development of tennis nationwide.
In the women’s competition, Aynur Movlamova, a 10th-grade student from Specialized Secondary School No. 27 in Ashgabat, claimed the Turkmenistan Cup for the first time. Her victory highlighted the strong potential of young female athletes in Turkmenistan.
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