Bitemirov bolsters Kazakhstan’s best Paralympic Games finish with defeat of Brazil Bitemirov bolsters Kazakhstan’s best Paralympic Games finish with defeat of Brazil

Kazakhstan marked their best-ever finish at the Paralympic Games by defeating Brazil 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) in the men’s sitting volleyball tournament of Paris 2024 on Wednesday at North Paris Arena.

Yerlan Bitemirov led the charge, bolstering his team with 11 points, including four aces and seven attacks, as Kazakhstan secured their historic victory in their first Paralympic appearance since Atlanta 1996.

Bitemirov’s performance was complemented by Perdebay Namuratov and Erik Kaskabayev, who contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Namuratov was effective with eight attacks, one block and two aces, while Kaskabayev added seven attacks and four aces. Despite strong efforts from Brazil’s Thiago Costa dos Santos Rocha, who led all scorers with 12 points, and Luis Fabiano de Oliveira, who added 10 points, Brazil could not match Kazakhstan’s power at the service line. Kazakhstan’s 10 service aces were a key factor in the victory, as they kept their unforced errors to a minimum with just 16.

In the first set, Kazakhstan found momentum early on and pulled ahead, courtesy of a series of errors from Brazil and Bitemirov’s decisive attacking play. From the score of 17-13, Kazakhstant extended the lead to 23-16 on Namuratov’s attack. Brazil’s Wellington Anunciacao da Silva made an attack blunder to hand Kazakhstan the set at 25-19.

The second set saw Kazakhstan take control once again, with Bitemirov scoring from both the service line and attacks to give his side an advantage. Brazil closed the gap to 18-12 on Renato Leite’s swing, but Kazakhstan kept the pressure on, with Kaskabayev’s attack bringing them to set point. Bauyrzhan Sartayev finished it off with a powerful spike to seal a 25-18 win.

Brazil pushed hard in the third set, leveling the score at 18-18. However, Kazakhstan quickly regained their composure, with Bitemirov delivering two critical service points to create a gap. Brazil committed an error, allowing Kazakhstan to close the set 25-19 and secure the match victory.

Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.