Erik Kaskabayev spent his Wednesday evening pouring his heart into what may have been the best match in his sporting life. He just helped propel the Kazakhstan team to its best finish ever in their Paralympics history, scoring 11 big points in the Asian side’s 3-0 defeat of Brazil at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in North Paris Arena.
Their eighth-place finish at Atlanta 1996 was the last known Paralympics milestone for Kazakhstan’s programme.
“For 28 years, we couldn’t make an appearance in the Paralympics, and this time we got to play,” said the 38-year old player.
Kazakhstan booked their slot for Paris via the ParaVolley Asia Oceania Zonal Championships they hosted at home in Astana in 2023.
As they made the trip to Paris, they continued to make some shiny milestones in their second Paralympics campaign.
On August 31, they pushed multi-medallists Bosnia and Herzegovina into the decider.
“We lost the match, but we were surprised with ourselves to be able to do so well against two-time Paralympic champions,” Kaskabayev remarked.
“The match with Egypt was also memorable as they have been bronze medallists in the past. They are a strong team so that was a good challenge for us,” he said, recalling their 3-1 loss on September 2.
“Today’s victory with Brazil , which is definitely another strong team, is such a big achievement for us.”
Kaskabayev remained joyful in Kazakhstan’s present achievement, yet determined for the team’s future.
“We are continuously growing as a team in this programme.
“Hopefully, this experience in Paris was a good platform for us, so for the next chance that we have at the Paralympics, we can be completely ready,” he said.
Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
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