|
| |
|
| Zhaxybek Istayev, Special Olympics Kazakhstan basketball athlete and his coach, Valentina Kulikova. [Photo by Dara Mac Donaill] |
All Special Olympics athletes are heroes in their own way, but there are those whose heroic actions deserve special mention. One of those is Zhaxybek Istayev from Kazakhstan, who participated in basketball competition at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. In addition to Istayev’s commitment and dedication to his athletic prowess, he is also remarkable for his bravery.
Despite having a steel pin in his thigh, the result of an injury sustained in a car accident when he was thirteen, this young man dived into a fast-moving river, close to the boarding school where he lives, to save a six-year-old child from drowning. This selfless act, though remarkable, is in character for Istayev, according to his coach Valentina Kulikova, who says that the athlete invariably puts others before himself.
Indeed, when asked if he was frightened about the potentially fatal situation he faced, Istayey simply shrugs. ‘‘I couldn’t see her parents, and she was screaming for help,’’ he says. He doesn’t even seem to consider himself especially brave, despite his injury which sometimes causes cramp in his leg. ‘‘I was just walking by the river and I heard screams,’’ he explains. ‘‘The little girl was being swept along by the strong current so I just jumped in and pulled her out.’’ Istayev, who likes any sport, has played hockey and football with some success in the past, achieving first and second places in both sports in local competitions in Kazakhstan. However, he now concentrates on basketball.
Kupershenskiy's profile by Audrey Muddiman, reprinted from The Games Gazette, the official newspaper of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
|
