In addition to the EKO (East Kazakhstan) Champion titles, two mountain bikes were up for grabs at the event.
The EKO Championship, dedicated to the memory of the famous sprinter and 1960 Rome Olympic silver medalist (as part of the Soviet 4x100m relay team), took place at the Olga Rypakova Athletics Arena. Interestingly, the legendary athlete herself, after whom the facility is named, was present at the competition.
The championship was vibrant and colorful, even if not the most massive in terms of numbers. Typically, summer competitions draw a larger audience; however, the turnout for a winter championship was remarkably high. In reality, it felt like an “Open EKO Championship,” as it featured representatives from the Karaganda and Almaty regions. Athletes from Ridder, Semey, Beskaragay, and Kokpekty districts, as well as Nova Bukhtarma and Belousovka, joined the local contingent. The total number of participants exceeded 150.
The strongest athletes were identified across three age categories: 2002–2003, 2000–2001, and juniors born in 1998–1999. Given the number of disciplines and categories, a vast number of titles were contested. There were 73 champions in total. Impressively, more than half of the first-place certificates remained with local athletes, as Ust-Kamenogorsk competitors secured 39 first-place finishes.
The most successful performances came from Ust-Kamenogorsk’s Anastasia Zavodina, Alexander Aksyutin, Alexandra Egorina, and Alexander Ibragimov, each winning three championship titles. Zavodina triumphed in the 60m dash, the 4x200m relay, and the long jump. Egorina was unmatched in the 200m, 400m, and the same relay. Aksyutin excelled in the 200m, 400m, and the 4x200m relay. All three became triple champions in the 2000–2001 age group. Alexander Ibragimov became the youngest triple champion, winning the 60m hurdles, the 4x200m relay, and the long jump in the 2002–2003 category.
At the conclusion of the event, the organizers held a lottery to award the bicycles among athletes who achieved results meeting the “First Adult Category” (sports rank). Among the boys, only two qualified. Blind luck and the “lucky hand” of Olga Rypakova’s son, Kirill—who drew the names from a large glass bowl—sent the first bicycle straight to Alexander Aksyutin.
Seven female athletes contended for the second bicycle. Fortune smiled upon a young beauty from Belousovka, Kristina Morozova. During the competition, Morozova became a double champion, winning both the 600m and 1000m races.
In the team standings, Ust-Kamenogorsk took first place with 39 winners’ certificates. Ridder followed in second place with 13 top-tier awards. The Semey team finished with one victory less than Ridder. Representatives from Kokpekty, Belousovka, Karaganda, Nova Bukhtarma, and the Almaty region each took home at least one award.
