Kazakhstan's Yakovlev and Chernukhin make history with rowing gold at Asian Games
Kazakhstani rowers Vladislav Yakovlev and Ivan Chernukhin have won gold medals at the 20th Summer Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The athletes finished first in the men’s coxless pair event (M2-), Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
In the A final, Yakovlev and Chernukhin crossed the finish line first, beating their closest rivals from China by 2.09 seconds to secure the Asian Games gold medal.
The Kazakhstani duo had successfully advanced through the preliminary stage the previous day, earning a place in the main final. Throughout the season, Kazakhstan’s national rowing team had focused its preparations specifically on the Asian Games, which the coaching staff identified as the team’s main competition of the year. As part of that preparation strategy, the team opted not to compete at the senior World Championships.
Yakovlev and Chernukhin have been racing together internationally for several seasons. In 2025, the duo won a bronze medal at the Asian Senior Championships. This season, they continued their strong run of results by claiming gold at the Asian Cup in Chungju, South Korea. Their Asian Games victory extends that successful series.
Yakovlev and Chernukhin are also scheduled to compete today in the men’s coxless four A final, alongside Yaroslav Melnikov and Timur Fomichev.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the victory marks the first-ever gold medal for Kazakhstan in rowing at the Asian Games.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan bagged the Wushu Sanda bronze at the Asian Games 2026.
