Turkmenistan's first Olympic medallist Polina Guryeva gets lavish rewards from govt

POLINA Guryeva who became Turkmenistan's first-ever medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics was on Saturday honoured and rewarded by the government.

The winner of the silver medal in the women's 59kg weightlifting event was presented with an apartment, a car and US50,000 (RM211,500) for bringing honour to the nation.

The celebrations of Guryeva's victory were led by Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the 39-year-old son of the country's leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

The younger Berdymukhamedov handed Guryeva, who is ethnic Russian, three white-lacquered wooden boxes, each containing keys to a three-room apartmenty, key to a white Lexus SUV and the third the cash award.

"I cordially congratulate you on this significant event, testifying to the growth of the authority of independent Turkmenistan in the international sporting space," Berdymukhamedov told Guryeva.

"I dedicate this medal to our president and the Turkmen people in honour of the 30th anniversary of the independence of Turkmenistan," Guryeva said. - Agencies. August 23, 2021