The Kazakh national team won gold medals at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship in Division IA in Budapest, El.kz reports.
The team won four victories in a row over the national teams of Hungary, France, Denmark and Japan and took the leadership in the standings. In the final match against Austria, although they lost in shootouts, the youth team of Kazakhstan earned 13 points, ahead of the French and Danish teams. Vladimir Nikitin, the goalkeeper of the Kazakhstan national team, was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
This success allowed Kazakhstan to achieve an unprecedented result - in 2024, the national teams of the country will play in the top division of the World Cup. Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev noted that such results of all national teams indicate the dynamic development of hockey in Kazakhstan. He congratulated the teams on their well-deserved victories and stressed that Kazakhstan has proved its status as a hockey country.