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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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