Zulfiya Gabidullina

Started: She began Para swimming in 1991, at age 26, in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and took up the sport more seriously in 2007. (Athlete, 19 Aug 2021; inform.kz, 22 Nov 2020) Reason: She switched from wheelchair racing to swimming. She took up the sport as a means of rehabilitation. (Athlete, 19 Aug 2021; voxpopuli.kz, 10 Aug 2015) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (tengrinews.kz, 29 Sep 2021) Milestones: She became the first athlete representing Kazakhstan to win a medal at the Paralympic Games when she claimed gold in the S3 100m freestyle at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (paralympic.org, 28 Sep 2016) Awards: She was named the 2018 Best Female Athlete of the Year at the annual People's Favourite Awards in Kazakhstan. (paralympic.org, 25 Jan 2019) In 2016 she received the Barys Order [second grade] in Kazakhstan. (akorda.kz, 13 Dec 2016) She received the 2015 Sports Award from the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan in the Overcoming of the Year category. (dknews.kz, 19 Apr 2016) She has received the title of Honoured Master of Sport in Kazakhstan. (kazsports.kz, 20 Dec 2017) Additional Info: VETERAN ATHLETE When she made her Paralympic Games debut in 2012 she was age 46. She is competing at the 2024 Games in Paris at age 58. "Many people think that at this age you should give up sports. But I just can't quit swimming. I only started actively doing sports at the age of 24, so I still have something left in the tank. My coach says that if he didn't still see potential in me, he would leave me. But, seeing that I can still do something, he works with me. Age, of course, takes its toll. It's hard to compete with 20-year-old swimmers. But at the same time, I have experience that young people don't have." (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Jul 2024; time.kz, 01 May 2024) OTHER ROLES In 2024 she was named vice president of the National Paralympic Committee of Kazakhstan. "I was shocked at first. I said, 'Don't worry me too much yet, I still have [the 2024 Paralympic Games in] Paris to think about!' I am still more an athlete than an official. We have four vice presidents, and we resolve all issues together." (time.kz, 01 May 2024) POLITICIAN She has served as a member of the political council of the Nur Otan party in Kazakhstan. (taraz.zhambyl.gov.kz, 10 Jun 2020)

Sporting Relatives: Her cousin Almir Mukhutdinov has represented the Kazakhstani national men's football team and played in the leagues of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. (Athlete, 19 Aug 2021)