Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, August 22, 2021: Turkmenistan’s first-ever Olympic medallist, weightlifter Polina Guryeva, was gifted an apartment, a car and US$50,000 for her exploits at Tokyo 2020 in a ceremony in Ashgabat on Saturday, August 21.
Guryeva, 21, won silver for Turkmenistan at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the women’s 59kg weightlifting competition. It was the first Olympic medal in the history of Turkmenistan.
At the ceremony, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the 39-year-old son of the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is also the President of the National Olympic Committee, handed Guryeva three white-lacquered boxes.
One contained keys to a three-room apartment in the capital, the second held keys to a white Lexus SUV and the third US$50,000 in cash.
“I cordially congratulate you on this significant event, testifying to the growth of the authority of independent Turkmenistan in the international sporting arena,” Serdar said.
Guryeva said: “I dedicate this medal to our president and the Turkmen people in honour of the 30th anniversary of the independence of Turkmenistan.”
Source: Arab News