Para swimmer Aknazar Mutalipov completes swim across Lake Balkhash in 13 hours
27-year-old para-athlete from Karaganda Aknazar Mutalipov completed a 20-kilometer swim across Lake Balkhash in just 13 hours, Kazinform News Agency reports citing Severnoye Pribalkhashyev newspaper.
The para-swimmer wanted to show others that "impossible is nothing, even if you lost one arm and one leg".
The goal of this swim is to prove to myself, above all else, and the entire world, that a person without one arm and one leg can overcome long distances. And, of course, I want to break a world record!, wrote Aknazar on his Instagram account.
The para-athlete is actively soliciting sponsors to officially register the achievement in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 2018, Aknazar lost his arm and leg in an incident while working in the railway industry, which only prompted his long-standing desire in swimming. Prior to his professional career, Aknazar took up swimming in Lake Balkhash, and then started taking swimming lessons and training with a coach.
In March last year, Aknazar stormed to the men’s 400m individual gold at the tournament in Taraz. Later, he crossed Lake Burabay, covering a distance of 2.5 kilometers in just one hour, under the guidance of his coach.
The same year, Aknazar was crowned the champion of Kazakhstan, and later in 2025 he received the title of a Candidate Master of Sports.
After months of training, Aknazar Mutalipov completed a 20-kilometer swim across Lake Balkhash in just 13 hours on July 8, 2025, showing his strength of mind, perseverance, and inspiration.
Earlier, it was reported eight judokas from Kazakhstan are to compete in the 2025 Judo Grand Slam Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, set to take place on July 25-27.
