APersonIndependent states
Polina Guryeva
Weightlifter (b. 1999) whose silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was Turkmenistan's first ever Olympic medal.
Polina Guryeva was born on 5 October 1999 and competes in weightlifting at 59 kg.
On 27 July 2021 she won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the first ever Olympic medal for independent Turkmenistan.
Before her, only a few Turkmens — such as the shooter Marat Nyýazow, who competed for the Soviet team — had won Olympic medals.
Sources
Updated: October 3, 2026