Serik Sapiev: Olympic champion and legend of Kazakh boxing

Serik Sapiev was born on November 16, 1983 in the city of Abay, Karaganda region, became known as an Olympic champion and world boxing champion. He was also awarded the prestigious Val Barker Cup and earned the title of Honorary Master of Sports of Kazakhstan. From an early age, Sapiev showed interest in sports; At the age of 11, he became interested in boxing, which his brothers and sisters supported. After receiving his education at the Karaganda Sports College, he returned to Abay to focus on a professional career in boxing.

Early life

Serik Sapiev, who was destined to become a gold medalist at the Olympic Games, was born into a family where his father Zhumangali Dautovich Sapiev was an honored miner who worked in various mines in the Karaganda region, and his mother Irina Fominichna Sapieva was a famous accountant and labor veteran. Growing up in a mixed cultural family (his father is Kazakh and his mother Marie), he and Serik raised two more sons and a daughter. He often recalls his childhood as idyllic, filled with the warm care of his mother and the firm support of his father, which he always treasured.

Athletics ran in the family; his paternal uncles distinguished themselves in sports: one was a boxer, the other a wrestler, both earned the title of master of sports. These figures became the first source of inspiration for Serik. He started boxing at age 11, but was initially unenthusiastic and often missed training. His parents considered sports to be healthy, not a career, and did not put any pressure on him. His siblings also played sports for a while before moving on to other activities. However, over time, Serik realized that real success in boxing requires solving serious problems. His talent was soon noticed by his coach and parents, who advised him to enter a sports college in Karaganda. After graduating from college, he entered Karaganda University, where he met coach Alexander Strelnikov, who significantly influenced his sports career and life in general.

Sports career

Among the brightest achievements in Sapiev’s career:

  • 2005: World Championship Champion.
  • 2006: Bronze medalist of the Asian Games.
  • 2007: gold medalist of the Asian and World Championships.
  • 2009: gold medalist at the Asian Championships and bronze at the World Championships.
  • 2010: Champion of the Asian Games.
  • 2011: Second place at the World Championships.
  • 2012: Olympic champion.

His contributions to the sport have also earned him several prestigious national awards, including the Order of Parasat and the Order of Otan, as well as the State Daryn Award and the Tarlan Charity Award. In 2012, he was awarded the title of Honorary Resident of the Karaganda Region.

Family

Serik Sapiev is happily married to Moldir, a Kazakh woman who is three years younger than him. Together they have three daughters whose names begin with the letter A: Akku, Alua and Aisulu, born in 2011, 2012 and 2014 respectively. The girls are actively involved in dancing and chess, and Moldir takes on household responsibilities.

Serik often talks about his desire to have a large family and dreams of having at least five children, hinting that in the future their family of five may expand. He is a devoted father who spoils his daughters with love and gifts.

Work after sports career

At the beginning of 2015, Sapiev became the general director of the club of semi-professional boxers "Astana Arlans" in Kazakhstan. However, in February 2017, he left this position to take a seat as a member of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh parliament. By 2018, Sapiev was appointed to the post of chairman of the committee on sports and physical culture in the Ministry of Culture and Sports. In the summer of 2019, he was elected chairman of the Council on Physical Culture and Sports of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

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