At these competitions, Kyrgyzstan will be represented by two skiers:
- Timur Shakirov — in alpine skiing;
- Artur Saparbekov — in cross-country skiing.
Turmush correspondent spoke with Olesya Shakirova, Timur's mother, about his journey to the Olympics.
Timur Olegovich Shakirov, born on June 20, 2006, in Karakol, Issyk-Kul region, began practicing alpine skiing at the age of six. His training started at the Karakol City Sports School, and in 2014 he moved to the "Krokus" club.
Initially, he was coached by Kizilov I.N., then by Valkova I.V. According to Olesya, the choice of alpine skiing was due to Timur's active nature. She herself is a master of sports in judo, and his grandfather is a candidate for master of sports in athletics.
Olesya shared that the path to the Olympics began in his school years. Timur showed perseverance despite the challenges of balancing studies and training. In elementary school, his father would pick him up after classes, and he would change clothes in the car to make it to his lessons on time.
Since 2023, Timur has been a member of the national team of Kyrgyzstan. Olesya managed to support his decision when he chose to fully dedicate himself to sports after the 9th grade. “He has a leadership character; he didn’t know what it was like to lose,” she says.
Since joining the national team, Timur has participated in international competitions in Italy, Austria, Lithuania, and Korea, including three world championships. In 2023, he earned a license for the Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in 2024 in South Korea.
In March 2024, Timur took 2nd place in slalom and 3rd place in giant slalom at the Youth Championship of Asia in China, which earned him the title of "Master of Sports of the Kyrgyz Republic." In 2025, he became a "Master of Sports of International Class," finishing 5th at the adult Asian Championship.
Timur's main achievement was obtaining a license for the Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina (Italy) in the slalom and giant slalom categories. Timur's mother was touched when she learned about his qualification for the Olympics — it was a dream for the athlete and his family. “I cried tears of joy,” she shared.
Timur will compete in the Olympics on February 14 and 16. It is also worth noting that he has become the only holder of the title of master of sports of international class in skiing among men in Kyrgyzstan.
Reference:
Slalom is a competition where participants navigate a course, weaving around set gates in the shortest time possible. The main goal is to complete the course as quickly as possible without touching the gates.
Giant Slalom (GS) — the course is longer and wider than in regular slalom, with gates set further apart. This requires the athlete to maintain speed and stability on large turns.
