Temirlan Balfanbayev, goalkeeper for Kazakhstan’s national water polo team, has shared photos from a photo shoot held ahead of the 2026 Asian Games.
The team went on to win silver at the competition, and the 24-year-old athlete has attracted attention on social media for his athletic physique and charisma.
His social media page has surprisingly few admiring comments, despite there being much more to appreciate about the young athlete than just his looks.
In a video posted on the Water Polo Federation’s social media page, Balfanbayev said he had been playing the sport since he was 8. He holds the title of Master of Sports and has competed in two Asian Games, winning bronze in 2023 and silver in 2026. He has also represented Kazakhstan at the World Aquatics Championships.
«Riding the wave — the Kazakh version of Keanu,» one user wrote.
Another commented that he had been a heartthrob for a long time and that his videos had been circulating on TikTok for about a year.
Read also: Asia’s new heartthrob: Meet Kazakh swimmer Mussin.
Is he related to a Forbes-listed businessman?
Balfanbayev shares a surname with Yerlik Balfanbayev, an Almaty-based entrepreneur featured in Forbes Kazakhstan’s rankings. Yerlik Balfanbayev is the founder of Alina Group and has 12 children. However, no publicly available information confirms that the water polo player is related to him.