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April 7 this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the first professional wrestler in the history of the Kazakh people - Kazhymukan Munaitpasov. A man who devoted his whole life to the art of wrestling, glorified the Kazakh people all over the world. He was the first Kazakh to win the title of world champion in French wrestling, multiple winner of world and regional, and then all-Union championships in classic wrestling among heavyweights. The owner of about fifty awards and medals, Kazhymukan Munaitpasov is a legend of the Kazakh people, a true batyr of his land.
“Homeland is the place where you were born and raised, and sometimes you have lived your whole life. There are mountains, rivers, stories and myths about their origin, the names of people who remain in the memory of the people. All this is important. A special attitude to the native land, its culture, customs, traditions is the most important feature of patriotism. This is the basis of the cultural and genetic code that makes any nation a nation", - wrote the First President of Kazakhstan N.А. Nazarbayev.
In 2015, during the V Republican tournament “Kazakhstan barysy”, Elbasy noted: “This type of wrestling is traditional for our people. Boys in auls have long been fond of Kazaksha kures, improving their skills through it. The fathers taught their sons the techniques of this struggle. I wholeheartedly support the competition. I believe that the current participants in the tournament will be athletes who will continue the glory of the great Kazakh wrestlers Baluan Sholak, Kazhymukan and many others". During his sports career, Kazhymukan Munaitpasov visited 54 countries of the world, won 48 medals and awards of various tests.
The famous Kazakh hero was born on April 7, 1871 in the village of Zhadik (Karaotkel), Akmola district. Legends say that both the father and the grandfather of the wrestler also possessed tremendous strength. In 1847, Father Munaitpas, together with his family, moved closer to Karaotkel, where he took up farming.
Kazhymukan was not even 17 years old when the fame of him as a strong fighter of the Akmola region began to spread throughout the steppe. After a while, the guy got the opportunity to learn the basics of circus art - at the age of 20 he first entered the arena. The first international success came to Kazhymukan in 1905 in Harbin at the Jiu-Jitsu Wrestling Championship. The 36-year-old strongman won the gold medal without a single defeat.
At first Kazhymukan was forced to perform under Russian names. Having gained fame under the nickname "Champion of Manchuria", he began to work together with three famous strongmen Ivan - Poddubny, Zaikin and Shemyakin, for which he was nicknamed "Black Ivan". In addition, the Kazakh batyr performed under the Japanese nickname “Yamagata Mukhunuri”. And in 1909 he received the pseudonym "Kara-Mustafa" ("Black Mustafa").
In 1910, a Kazakh strongman arrived in South America for the first time. As part of a tour of the cities of the continent, Kazhymukan performed most vividly in the capital of Argentina - Buenos Aires, where he triumphantly won a gold medal. The fame of Kazhymukan Munaitpasov already thundered all over the world.
It was Kazhymukan who laid the foundation for the first Kazakh professional theater. In 1926, in Kyzylorda, he began to organize various championships with the participation of famous artists. It was on this sphene that the legendary Amre Kashaubaev, Kalibek Kuanyshpayev, Isa Bayzakov began their journey.
Until the start of the revolution, the wrestler does what he loves, performing at various tournaments. After the start of the October Revolution, Kazhymukan took part in the formation of Soviet power. However, in 1937 he was persecuted by the NKVD on charges of serving the Tsarism. For the sake of saving loved ones, he was forced to leave his family and go to other lands.
During the Great Patriotic War, the wrestler did not stand aside. He went to the authorities with the initiative to travel around the country with circus performances, and transfer the proceeds to help the front. The seventy-year-old hero demonstrated power techniques, lay down under the barn gates, and crowds of people walked along him, cars drove by.
In 1944, the wrestler spent his last performances in the villages of the South Kazakhstan region. The famous Kazhymukan managed to collect 100 thousand rubles, for which he asked to give the Soviet army an aircraft bearing the name of Amangeldy Imanov. Kazhymukan Munaitpasov personally handed over the combat vehicle to the young Kazakh pilot Kazhytay Shalabayev, who then flew more than 200 sorties on the Baltic and Leningrad fronts.
Kazhymukan Munaitpasov had four wives. They gave him four sons and three daughters. The descendants became a worthy continuation of the great batyr. Son Zhanadil, born when the wrestler was already 77 years old, later became an honored wrestling coach of Kazakhstan. The adopted son of Gabdolla, Russian by nationality, worked as a prosecutor in Omsk. Kazhymukan's grandson, Shattyk Kazhymukanov, is an international master of sports in karate-do. In 2002, he won a silver medal at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. Another grandson of the wrestler, Bakhytzhan, became a famous composer who won prizes at the well-known competitions "Asia Dauysy" and "Zhas Kanat".
Kazhymukan Munaitpasov died in 1948 on the Leninsky Znamya collective farm in the Turkestan region. He was 77 years old. Paluan passed away in almost complete poverty. Unfortunately, the authorities of that period were unable to provide worthy support to an outstanding person.
The name of Kazhymukan Munaitpasov is inscribed in golden letters in the history of the Kazakh people. Streets, stadiums, specialized sports boarding schools and squares bear his name. Monuments were erected in his honor, feature films and documentaries were shot. In the Akmola region, the village where he was born is named after Kazhymukan Munaitpasov.
The books stored in the collection of the Elbasy Library tell about the glorious life of the national hero. Among them is the edition "Kazhymukan" compiled by N. Begalyuly. The book tells about the great Kazakh paluan, the life and work of the famous strongman, and there is also the story "Kazhymukan" by the famous writer K. Abdykadyrova.