Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, August 5, 2020: Three members of the Kazakhstan Under 23 national freestyle wrestling team have died in a tragic car accident.
The Kazakhstan wrestling community was left stunned as they came to grips with the heartbreaking news that Dzhaksybek Karabalayev, Ilyas Zhumai and Zhanbota Baibazar were killed in the car accident.
Karabalayev and Baibazar died at the scene of the accident. Zhumai was taken to hospital in critical condition and died in intensive care.
The Kazakhstan NOC said in a statement: "This is an irreplaceable loss for the sport in Kazakhstan. We express our condolences to the families and relatives."
Two more wrestlers, Nurdaulet Zautbek and Genghis Khan Mukhametkaliev, are in intensive care. It is still unknown if all the wrestlers were in the same car and the circumstances of the tragic accident.
Head coach of the Kazakhstan national freestyle wrestling team Asset Serikbayev expressed his condolences on the death of the talented wrestlers.
“All three wrestlers who died in the accident were very talented. The death of young talents overwhelmed me. I offer my condolences to the families and friends of the deceased athletes, to all the fans in the country,” Serikbayev said.
Dzhaksybek Karabalayev won the Kazakhstan U-23 Championship in 86kg. Ilyas Zhumai was one of the strongest athletes in the youth team and national team. Last year he won gold at the Asian U-23 Wrestling Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in the 65kg class.
Source: Kazakhstan NOC