Previously, he was also honored with the nominations for "Best Young Ulakchy" and "Best Forward."
In a conversation with a Turmush correspondent, he shared that he was born in 2005 in the village of Besh-Kungey in the Alamudun district. He is the eldest of three children in his family. "I've been in the saddle since I was two — I grew up on horseback. Both my father and grandfather were ulakchy. I was always around them, watching rural games of ulak, growing up in this environment. I started playing 'zher ulak' in my village at the age of 15.
However, at 17, I suffered a severe injury during a game — I broke my shinbone. Because of this, I couldn't participate in ulak for two years. After recovering, I played 'zher ulak' for a while again, and from the end of 2024, I began participating in 'kazan ulak' games," he said.
Amankeldi also shared his achievements over the past year in kok-boru. "For the first time, we entered the 'kazan ulak' from the village council of Tash-Moynok. At that time, regional competitions were held in the Chuy region. In one of the matches, we had to play against a strong team from Suusamyr. To be honest, I thought we would lose, as it was my first time in 'kazan ulak', and against a strong opponent. But we managed to win and ultimately took third place as a team. Then, on August 31, we participated as the 'Zhash-Tilek' team in the President's Cup, where we finished in 4th place, and I received the nomination for 'Best Young Ulakchy'. After that, the youth team of the Chuy region went to the competitions in Talas, where we again took third place, and I was awarded the nomination for 'Best Forward'. Just recently, at the inter-district kok-boru competitions in the Chuy region, we represented the Alamudun district team, became champions, and I was recognized as the 'Best Player'," the young man recounts.
According to Amankeldi, he does not consider kok-boru to be an excessively dangerous sport. "My mom was a bit worried and was against it. But my father, being an ulakchy himself, never objected. In the future, my goal is to join the national team of Kyrgyzstan. In my free time, I ride horses, play football, help with household chores, and take care of the livestock," he says.
Amankeldi Esenkeldiev is married and has one child.
