15-year-old Turkmen athlete Käkilik Deryaeva has won a bronze medal at the Asian Cadet Judo Cup currently taking place in Almaty. This was reported by the online newspaper “Turkmenistan: Golden Age.”

A 10th-grade student at Ashgabat Secondary School No. 37, she achieved this success in the under-48 kg weight category, where 25 athletes from 5 countries competed for medals.

On her way to the podium, the Turkmen judoka scored four victories. In the first round, she won by ippon just 36 seconds into the match against Sarvinoz Abdusamadova from Uzbekistan. She then defeated Mongolian judoka Khongorzul Ariunzorigt, also by ippon. In the quarterfinals, Deryaeva lost to Uzbek athlete Nargiza Dustmamtova. However, in the repechage, she secured a win by ippon against Uzbekistan’s Zarnigor Ulasheva, and in the bronze medal match, she triumphed over Kazakhstan’s Zlata Shvaigert.

This is the first major international success for the talented Turkmen judoka. Käkilik Deryaeva has been practicing judo since 2019, starting her training under Batyr Annaev. She is currently coached by Gulbadam Babamuratova and the head coach of Turkmenistan’s women's national team, Tatyana Vidyasova.

The Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Cup in Almaty brought together 788 athletes from 11 countries – Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Russia, the USA, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan is represented by 31 judokas at the tournament.