One of the stars of last week’s IWAS World Games was the Kazakhstan swimmer Gabidullina Zulfiya. She won three gold medals and broke three world records at the same time in the Pagedal Aquatic Centre during the championships in the 50/200m freestyle and the 150m Medley, which captured a tremendous couple of months for her. 

In August she also medalled at the IPC World Swimming Championships in Montreal and was successful at the British International Disability Swimming Championships earlier in the year. The 58 year old who swims in the S3 category and also competed in London last year has only been swimming competitively since 2007. Gabidullina’s first major international ‘meet’ was at the IWAS World Games in Sharjah where she was also a winner.

At the age of five she was involved in a car accident which resulted in her injury. Gabidullina has been practicing sports since her childhood as a means of rehabilitation but most of her life has been bringing up her daughter and drawing, which is her main hobby.

Her personal exhibition of paintings was held in Taraz (Kazakhstan) during 2010.

In 2012, she completed the qualifying standard for Master of Sports of International Class of the Republic of Kazakhstan in swimming.

Her personal trainer is the Honored coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Beysembayev Sattar Yergaliyevich.  

Tony Garrett IWAS Reporter