| Turkmenistan at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | TKM |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 9 in 5 sports |
| Flag bearer | Merdan Ataýew[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Russian Empire (1900–1912) Soviet Union (1952–1988) Unified Team (1992) | |
Turkmenistan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
The National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan sent a team of nine athletes, four men and five women, to compete in five different sports at the Games.[2] This was also the youngest delegation in Turkmenistan's Olympic history, with more than half of the team under the age of 25, and many of them were expected to reach their peak in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Eight Turkmen athletes made their debut in Rio de Janeiro, with hammer thrower Amanmurad Hommadov headed to his second Games as the oldest and most experienced competitor (aged 29). Meanwhile, breaststroke swimmer Darya Semyonova established history for the Turkmens as the youngest ever Olympian (aged 14), beating the record previously held by Yelena Rojkova twelve years earlier in Athens. Other notable athletes featured world's top-ranked judoka Gulbadam Babamuratova in the women's 52 kg category, and backstroke swimmer Merdan Ataýew, the tallest of the team (standing at 6 ft 5 in), who was selected to become Turkmenistan's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[3]
Turkmenistan, however, had to wait five more years for its first medal.
- ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ^ "Сборная команда Туркменистана отбыла на Олимпиаду в Бразилию" [Turkmenistan national team left for the Olympics in Brazil]. Turkmenistan.ru. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Знаменосцем команды Туркменистана на открытии Олимпийских игр в Рио-де-Жанейро стал пловец Мердан Атаев" [Swimmer Merdan Atayev became the flag bearer for Turkmenistan team at the Olympic opening in Rio de Janeiro] (in Russian). Turkmen Portal. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.