Weight-lifting champion Ilya Ilyin gets 4 million tenge certificate

Ilya Ilyin, Kyzylorda-born renowned weight-lifter and weight-lifting world champion was honored in his home city, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing KazTAG. Bolatbek Kuandykov, Governor of the region, presented to Ilya, who won the recent French weight-lifting world championship with a Winner Diploma and a 4 million tenge certificate ($27,000). “Ilyin has regained the world champion title this November, he won the championship in Paris. His result was 407 kilograms. This is one kilogram more than his result at the Olympic Games in 2008,” Sadyk Mustafayev, head of Tourism, Physical Education and Sport Administration said during the awarding ceremony. Ilyin dedicated his victory to the forthcoming anniversary of independence of Kazakhstan. In France Ilyin, who had been the champion of Beijing Olympic Games and the winner of Guangzhou Asian Games, became the three-time world champion. He is considered the most highly awarded Kazakhstan sportsman. He has already started training for the next London Olympic Games. “We are counting on gold only,” the sportsman's coaches said. Kazakhstan weight-lifters gained eight Olympic spots in the World Championship in France.