When Kazakhstani gymnast Arailym Meiram won gold at the 2017 Asian Championships in Thailand, many in the international sports scene saw it as a local sensation. A quiet young woman from the village of Bakhanas, unassuming off the mat, yet remarkably precise and composed on it. At the time, few realized this wasn’t a one-time spark.
Two years later, it has become clear: that moment was the start of a new era. An era where women’s artistic gymnastics in Kazakhstan has stepped out of the shadows and found its identity. That identity now has a name – Arailym Meiram.
Kazakhstan Is Rising
For years, gymnastics in Kazakhstan remained underrepresented. During the Soviet era, Kazakh athletes were part of the unified USSR team, and individual stories were rarely highlighted. In the post-Soviet period, the sport suffered from reduced infrastructure, lack of coaching resources, and, most critically, a shortage of female role models.
That is changing. And one of the reasons is a single athlete whose victory inspired not just young gymnasts, but an entire national system to believe in itself again.
“After the gold in Thailand, I understood I could be more than just a competitor,” Arailym says.
“If a girl from a small village can stand on the podium, then any of them can.”
Inner Technique, Relentless Work
Arailym began training at six years old. From the beginning, her coach Natalya Vladimirovna not only taught her skills but shaped her mindset.
“She doesn’t just train the body,” says the coach. “She teaches you how to breathe, to focus, to feel. It all starts with breath, then focus, then movement.”
Meiram’s style is built on minimalism, grace, and control. She does not rely on theatrical showmanship. Instead, from the moment she steps onto the mat, the room goes quiet. Her presence sets the tone. Her movements are not only technically precise, they are alive.
“I try to be present,” she says. “Not to think about the score, not to chase the result, but to feel each breath, each movement.”
Her daily routine is built on repetition – jumps, core strength, flexibility, detailed skill work. But just as important is recovery: sleep, massage, breathwork.
“You can’t recover if you don’t learn to listen to your body,” she adds.
“Discipline also means knowing when to pause, when to flow.”
A Symbol and a Leader
Since 2018, Arailym has been more than a champion. She has become a national icon in Kazakhstani sports.
At domestic championships, she is a constant presence and a clear favorite. Her winning streak through 2018 and 2019 has included international showings, public exhibitions, and training camps. Her name is known in sports academies across the country. Her photos hang in gyms from Astana to Almaty, and even in remote villages.
“When I’m on the beam, I know young girls are watching,” she says.
“That’s my responsibility. I want to win, yes, but I also want them to believe: you can do this.”
Support Becomes a System
Behind every athlete is a team. For Arailym, that means her coach, her family, her doctors, her mental coaches, and the national federation. But her results have done more than win titles – they have encouraged structural changes in Kazakhstan’s gymnastics ecosystem.
“We now have more coaches, more facilities, more trust,” says sports official Murat Abyldaev.
“It’s because of her success that investment and optimism are growing again.”
What Comes Next?
She speaks openly about her Olympic dream. Not as an end goal, but as a platform to represent a broader story.
“I want to show the world that Kazakhstan is not only wrestling and boxing,” she says.
“We also have elegance, grace, and mental strength.”
She also sees her future beyond competition: founding a gymnastics school, mentoring new coaches, and becoming an ambassador for women’s sport in her country.
Every country has a few athletes who go beyond the scoreboard. They become bridges between generations, between what is and what is possible. Arailym Meiram is one of those athletes.
She doesn’t just win medals. She is building a culture – one of discipline, respect, precision, and inner strength.
“I don’t just want to be a champion,” she says. “I want to be the start of someone’s dream.”
And by all accounts, she already is.
Ava Morgan
