Kaisar Nurmagambetov

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Kaisar Nurmagambetov, (always incorrectly referred to as Nurmaganbetov in Western sources), born 5 August 1977 in Zhezqazghan, is a flatwater canoer from Kazakhstan. He has won four Asian Games medals, including one gold.

Nurmagambetov made his international debut at the age of eighteen, winning a bronze medal at the 1995 Asian Canoeing Championships in the Canadian canoe C1 1000m.

Two years later he had established himself as the top canoe sprinter in Asia, winning all three individual titles at the 1997 Asian Championships (200m, 500m, 1000m).

He went to the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok as favourite and duly won the C1 500m gold medal, as well as the C1 1000m silver. At the following Asiad in 2002, held in Busan, South Korea he picked up two more medals - silver in the 500m and bronze in the 1000m.

Nurmagambetov represented Kazakhstan at two Olympics - at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Both times he reached the semi-finals in both the C1 500m and C1 1000m'

After the Athens Olympics Nurmagambetov switched from the C1 to the (two-man) C2. In 2005 he won a total of five C2 medals at the Asian Championships, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia. With partner Oleg Bezhnar he won the C2 1000m title. In the other C2 races he partnered Alexandr Dyadchuk, winning gold in the 200m and silver in the 500m. He also competed with the four-man C4 crew, winning the 200m gold and 500m bronze.

He is 182 cm (6'0") tall and weighs 76 kg (167 lbs).