Who is Kazakhstan backing in the home freestyle skiing World Championship?

Almaty is preparing to host the 2025 Junior Freestyle Skiing World Championship, which will take place from January 7 to January 11, 2025, reports Caravan.kz.

Over the course of five action-packed days, the most talented young freestyle skiers from around the globe will compete in mogul, parallel mogul, team parallel mogul, acrobatics, and team acrobatics events. This year, more than 110 gifted athletes from 13 countries will participate.

Representatives from Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, the USA, Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, and Japan will showcase their skills on the slopes of Shymbulak. The World Junior Championship promises to highlight the rising stars of this sport at one of the most spectacular sporting venues on the global competition calendar.

The Shymbulak ski resort in Almaty, which will host the championship, has a rich history of elite freestyle competitions. It has previously hosted World Cup stages five times and was the venue for an unforgettable adult freestyle world championship in 2021. This season, in addition to the junior world championship, Shymbulak will also host a World Cup stage in February.

The World Championship mogul course "Yuka G" is named in honor of Julia Galysheva, a bronze medalist at the Olympics and a holder of a complete set of world championship medals from Kazakhstan. The course begins at an altitude of 2,750 meters above sea level, making it the highest starting gate of all in the World Cup and championship tour. The challenge of competing at such altitudes, combined with breathtaking views of the Tian Shan mountains, creates a unique and memorable experience for both athletes and spectators. The acrobatics venue, located at the base of the resort's mid-station, offers equally stunning conditions for high jumps.

Almaty has earned a solid reputation as a host of world-class winter sports events, including the 2017 Winter Universiade. The combination of mountainous terrain, advanced infrastructure, and impressive mountain landscapes makes it an ideal choice for the junior world championship.

Kazakhstan is known for its hospitality, but local athletes are determined to earn medals on their home turf. According to the coaching staff's decision, Kazakhstan will be represented at the home junior world championship in mogul by Anastasia Gorodko, Yulia Feklistova, Anastasia Larionova, Viktoria Kuznetsova, Yulia Mokina, Semyon Rusakov, Ilnar Ibragimov, Danil Korotkov, Alexey Deniayrev, and Denis Rastruba.

In the women's mogul competition, the title of reigning junior world champion will be defended by Kazakhstan's Anastasia Gorodko. An accident and the subsequent surgeries did not break her spirit; instead, they made her stronger. In her rapidly developing career, Anastasia has already won four medals at junior world championships (including 2 golds and 2 silvers), a bronze at the adult world championship, and at the age of 16, she competed at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, finishing in 21st place.

Speaking of favorites, it is important to note that the junior freestyle world championship features participants up to 19 years old (born in 2005 or later). In the current women's adult World Cup, at least six athletes who fit the junior age category have scored points. Gorodko currently ranks 12th in the adult World Cup, while 19-year-old Japanese athlete Yuma Taguchi is in 21st place, and her Australian peer Charlotte Wilson is in 22nd. The 18-year-old Chinese athlete Li Ruilin ranks 25th among adults, while 17-year-old Korean Yun Shin Ye is in 28th place among adults, and her British peer Kali Carr is 30th.

It is likely that the main competition for medals will unfold among these athletes. We should also not overlook 19-year-old Swedish athlete Nikolina Stenkula and 17-year-old Italian athlete Manuela Pazeretta competing in the adult World Cup, as well as dark horses who may make a significant impact in Almaty.

In the men's mogul competition for those under 19, the favorites include 19-year-old American Mitchell Asher, a medalist from last year's junior world championship (currently ranked 19th in the adult World Cup), and two South Korean athletes—junior world vice-champion Jung Dae Yoon (19 years old, 24th among adults) and Lee Yoon Seung (18 years old, 27th among adults). They are closely followed by French athletes Leo Croze (19 years old, 30th in the adult World Cup) and Guy Paul Andre (18 years old, 39th among adults), as well as Czech athlete Matyas Krupa (18 years old, 48th among adults). Don't forget last year's world champion, 17-year-old Japanese athlete Ikeya Fujimura. Kazakh athletes, led by 18-year-old Denis Rastruba, a participant in the Winter Youth Olympics, aim to provide serious competition to the world leaders with the support of their home crowd.

As for freestyle acrobatics, the Kazakh team consists of Dinmukhammed Raimkul, Ardana Makhanova, Rayana Makhanova, Asan Asylkhan, Roman Pogosyan, Ulanbakir Umurzakov, and Adelina Umurzakova. Traditionally, athletes from Ukraine, China, Australia, and the USA are favorites in this discipline, but the Kazakh team is also determined to contend for medals with the enthusiastic support of their home crowd.

It is also important to note that for Kazakhstan's juniors, competing at the home world championship is an invaluable experience and unforgettable emotions that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on their future sports careers.