His name is Davranbek Hasanbayek, he is 23 years old, and he competes on Saturday in weightlifting in the 102kg weightlifting event, representing Turkmenistan.

He has the responsibility that any Olympian has to achieve more or, in his case, to retain the silver medal for his country that Polina Guryega won in Tokyo, in her case in the 59kg category for women.

But in her case it is more: to add to a meagre historical medal haul for this former Soviet republic whose rulers seem to have made such success a matter of state.

Turkmenistan's president, Serdar Berdymukhamedo, has reprimanded the former Soviet republic's head of sports his sports chief for poor results in Paris Olympics.

The message was broadcast on state television, which showed people exercising at a sports facility on the banks of the Caspian while warning that "all the conditions are in place" for the country to excel in sport. In fact, winning medals or, in other words, "raising the international authority of Turkmen sport to the highest level" was one of the indications given by the president in the run-up to the games. And it was something in which, moreover, a lot of state money had been invested from the Central Asian country.

State television reported that the chairman of the Turkmen state committee for physical education and sports had been "severely reprimanded".

Turkmenistan took six athletes to Paris and so far has not won a single medal. Their next chance is the weightlifting competition on Saturday. Since independence in 1991, Turkmenistan has won only one Olympic medal. It was silver in weightlifting at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic rich in natural resources, is one of the most closed countries in the world.
President Serdar Berdymukhamedov succeeds his father, Gurbanguly, who resigned and who during his time in office established a strong personality cult.