Zaynab Dayibekova

Zaynab Kazbekovna Dayibekova (born 19 November 2002) is an Uzbek fencer. She competed in the women's sabre event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, reaching the quarterfinals.

Early life and education
Dayibekova was born on 19 November 2002, in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Nukus region. She has been practicing fencing since 2015 and she is left-handed sabre fencer. Her first coach is Daurbek Jiermuratov. She was a student of the Nukus branch of the Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sports.

Career
In 2018, at the Asian Junior Fencing Championship in the UAE, she won a bronze medal. In 2019, at the Junior Women's Sabre World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, she won a gold medal by defeating Nisonur Erbil of Turkey in the final with a score of 15:12. In 2021, at the Asia-Oceania Fencing Qualification Tournament, Zaynab Dayibekova secured a spot in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. In the final match for the qualification, she defeated Aigerim Saribay from Kazakhstan with a score of 15:6. On 30 June 2021, in honor of Youth Day, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, awarded Zaynab the "Shuhrat" medal. In the same year, she finished seventh at the Junior World Fencing Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

At the XXXII Summer Olympics, Zaynab began her performance with a victory over Japanese fencer Tika Aoki with a score of 15:9. In the second stage, she defeated the Asian silver medalist, Chinese fencer Shao Yaci, with a score of 15:10. In the round of 16, she once again secured a victory, this time over Korean fencer Yun Ji Soo with a score of 15:12. In the quarter-finals, she faced Hungarian fencer Anna Marton, a medalist at world and European championships, but lost with a score of 11:15. In 2021, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, awarded Zaynab the "Jasorat" medal for her outstanding contribution to the development of the Olympic movement. In 2023, she won a gold medal at the Asian Senior Fencing Championship in Wuxi, China.