Kazakh weightlifter Beksultan Aitbay finished seventh in the 75-kilogram weight class at the 10th Summer Asian Games, being held in Japan, infohub.kz reports.
In the snatch, two of the Kazakh's attempts were successful: he lifted 132 kilograms on his first and 135 on his third. In the second exercise, the clean and jerk, Aitbay locked out 177 kilograms on his third attempt. The eventual medalists, meanwhile, opened at 195 and 200 kilograms.
In the final standings, the Kazakh placed seventh out of nine competitors.
Asian Games 2026. September 26. Weightlifting. Men. Up to 75 kg:
1. Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (Indonesia) — 366 (160+206).
2. Wiraphon Wichuma (Thailand) — 365 (160+205).
3. Jong Song Ri (DPRK) — 357 (162+195).
…7. Beksultan Aitbay (Kazakhstan) — 308 (135+173).
Kazakh weightlifters rank sixth in Asian Games medals across the event's history. Gold medals have been won over the years by Andrey Makarov (1994, 1998), Ilya Ilyin (2006, 2010), Sergey Kopytov (1994), Vyacheslav Nyu (1994), Bakhyt Akhmetov (2002), Sergey Filimonov (2002), Vyacheslav Yershov (2006), Maiya Maneza (2010), Svetlana Podobedova (2010) and Margarita Yeliseyeva (2014).
The 10th Summer Asian Games officially opened on September 19 and will close on October 4. Athletes from 45 countries are competing for 460 sets of medals. Kazakhstan's national team at the 2026 Asian Games comprises 558 athletes in 35 sports.
On the first day of the Games, the Kazakhs won four gold medals. Cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko became champions of the Games, as did karateka Zholaman Bigabyl and Sofya Berultseva. MMA fighter Yerkingali Burkutalin added a fifth gold to the team's tally. A sixth came from his fellow mixed martial arts teammate Kadyrbek Shynbayev. On September 23, Lutsenko became a two-time champion of the 2026 Asian Games. The eighth gold medal was won on September 24 by rowers Vladislav Yakovlev and Ivan Chernukhin in the men's coxless pairs.
After six days of the Games, Kazakhstan stood fourth in the unofficial medal standings.