The book presentation about
the most famous Kazakh athletes, who have numerously raised the national flag
over global podiums and stadiums, took place in the city of Astana. The book, containing
inspiring stories of victories, defeats, and ways to success, is intended for
young readers. It comprises 17 touching stories and memories from childhood by
domestic athletes. For about 10 years Zhanar Utesheva was nurturing the idea to
release such a unique book, capable of awakening not only pride in the country among
young Kazakhs but also the desire to climb the podium themselves. Author Unzila
Mynbai, for whom that book became a debut, helped bring that idea to life.
“Unzila Mynbai is the book author and I am the
project leader. I am very grateful to all the athletes who agreed to
take part in our project. All the stories were written with the involvement of
the athletes, providing insights that few are aware of. Besides, the book
includes two stories with the participation of the mothers of the heroes, who,
unfortunately, are no longer with us. We are grateful that they allowed to tell
the stories of Denis Ten and Bekzat Sattarkhanov,” said Utesheva.
“They wanted to convey to every child and every
determined dreamer that today or tomorrow might be challenging, but one day,
you will surely raise the flag of Kazakhstan, and everyone will know about you.
I am happy that I was able to share people’s stories that are worth knowing
both in Kazakhstan and worldwide. I’m passing on to others what has been told
to me,” said Mynbai.
According to Unzila Mynbai, it took her nearly half
a year to write the book. Each story described in the book is unique. The
main similarity of those stories is that they all revolve around the
achievement of a dream, and dreams come from childhood.
“I liked the idea that it will be a children’s
book in two languages. I think, for the first time, such a book has been
released for children about sports. It tells about the challenging path in life
and champions’ achievements. So, we encouraged children, saying that they
shouldn’t stop at what they have achieved, but should go further,” said Yulia
Galysheva, an Olympic medalist.
The presentation of the book entitled
‘Champions from Childhood’ took place with the participation of the athletes
themselves, their coaches, families and loved ones. The images
immediately captured the interest of young readers, and there were many of them
at the event. It is worthy to note that the book is already available for sale
in both Kazakh and Russian languages.
