On January 24 in Orenburg, Russia, the international competition "Orenburg Mile" took place, where Nursultan Kenesbekov took second place.
In the 2-mile (3218 meters) distance, Vladimir Nikitin won, setting a new record for Russia with a time of 8 minutes 29.74 seconds. Kenesbekov finished right behind him, clocking in at 8 minutes 33.94 seconds, which became a new record for Kyrgyzstan.
The athlete noted that his participation in this tournament was organized by his manager, and it was part of his preparation for the Asian Championship. Only 5–6 athletes participated in the race, and Kenesbekov started first, which helped Nikitin set the new record.
For his second place, Kenesbekov received a prize of 50,000 rubles, as well as 25,000 rubles for setting a new national record. He added that he is now receiving many invitations to competitions in Russia, although some of them coincide with the dates of the indoor Asian Championship.
