ATHLETES from Turkmenistan

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Turkmen Athletes of all time. This list of famous Turkmen Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Inha Babakova (1967 - )

With an HPI of 42.69, Inha Babakova is the most famous Turkmen Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Inha Babakova (née Butkus, born 26 June 1967) is a former high jumper who represented the Soviet Union and later Ukraine. She was born in Asgabat, Turkmen SSR. Her personal best is 2.05 metres. Babakova won an Olympic bronze medal in Atlanta 1996 and became World Champion in Seville 1999. She also won four other World Championship medals, with bronzes in 1991 and 1995 and silvers in 1997 and 2001. Track and Field News magazine ranked her in the world's top ten in their annual merit rankings for 13 out of 14 seasons (1991-2004), the exception being 1998. She was in the top five ten times. Only Stefka Kostadinova, among other female high jumpers, has more top ten rankings. Her 2.01 m clearance in Oslo on her 36th birthday in 2003 is the women's W35 World Record.

2. Polina Guryeva (1999 - )

With an HPI of 27.06, Polina Guryeva is the 2nd most famous Turkmen Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Polina Aleksandrovna Guryeva (Turkmen: Polina Aleksandrowna Gurýewa, Russian: Полина Александровна Гурьева, born 5 October 1999) is a Turkmenistani weightlifter. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021 and won a silver medal in the women's 59 kg competition. This was the first ever Olympic medal for Turkmenistan. She is one of the few Turkmens who won Olympic medals, joining the likes of the late Marat Nyýazow (who represented the USSR at the 1960 Olympics in Rome) and Daniyar İsmayilov (an ethnic Turkmen who represents Turkey).

3. Danil Burkenya (1978 - )

With an HPI of 26.38, Danil Burkenya is the 3rd most famous Turkmen Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Daniil Sergeyevich Burkenya (Russian: Даниил Серге́евич Буркеня; born July 20, 1978, in Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR) is a Russian track and field athlete who competes mainly in triple jump. He was a long jumper before taking up triple jumping in 2004, and the same year he won the bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

4. Daniyar İsmayilov (1992 - )

With an HPI of 23.01, Daniyar İsmayilov is the 4th most famous Turkmen Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Daniyar Ismayilov (born 3 February 1992) is a Turkmen weightlifter currently competing for Turkey. He competed for Turkmenistan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He competed for Turkey at 2016 Olympics and won a silver medal (total 351 kg.) In 2021, his doping test came back positive for the second time.

5. Diyorbek Urozboev (1993 - )

With an HPI of 20.98, Diyorbek Urozboev is the 5th most famous Turkmen Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Diyorbek Urozboev (born 17 August 1993) is an Uzbekistani judoka. He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.