Fencer Dmitriy Alexanin was named best athlete of the year in summer sports at Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee National Sports Awards after winning a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games ©KNOC

Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee (KNOC) held the annual National Sports Awards to recognise and celebrate the achievements of Kazakh athletes this year. 

KNOC held their annual sports awards evening at the Hilton Astana Hotel to recognise the accomplishments of Kazak athletes this year. 

Nominees were chosen by the sports directorate after National Federations submitted their suggestions. 

The winners were then voted by the general public online, with KNOC receiving around 500,000 votes within the two-week voting period.

Yuliya Galysheva, winner of the Olympic bronze medal at Pyeongchang 2018 in the mogul event, was named the best athlete of the year in winter sports. 

Best athlete of the year in summer sports went to Dmitriy Alexanin, who became the first Kazakh fencer to win gold at the Asian Games which took place in Jakarta and Palembang this year. 

Kazakhstan's water polo team were awarded team of the year after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games ©KNOC
Kazakhstan's water polo team were awarded team of the year after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games ©KNOC

The National Fencing Federation of Kazakhstan was awarded the best Federation of the year in Olympic sports. 

Head of the freestyle mogul team, Elena Kruglykhina, won best coach of the year in winter sports, while gymnastics coach Aliya Yussupova was named best coach of the year in summer sports. 

Gleb Brussenskiy and Yevgeniy Fedorov were given breakthrough of the year after winning gold in the cycling combined team event at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Kazakhstan's water polo team won team of the year for getting the gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games and best young athlete went to Bekarys Saduakas, a Buenos Aires 2018 champion in judo.

Attendees at the awards included Kazakhstan's Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, the Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev, the KNOC Chairman of the Commission on Women in Sports Umut Shayakhmetova and the South Korean Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Kim Desik.

The awards were established four years ago by the President of KNOC Timur Kulibayev.