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Uljana Semjonova, Latvia
From
HoopHall.com: Uljana Semjonova's impact on the women's international
basketball scene may be modest when compared to the impact she had in her native
Latvia. From 1970 to 1985, Semjonova was voted the most popular athlete in her
country 12 times. Considering that in the same 15-year span, Sports Illustrated
never had a repeat Sportsman of the Year, Uljana Semjonova brings impeccable
credentials to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Several years ago, Semjonova, the
first woman international player in the Hall of Fame, told the Seattle Times
that back in her homeland, "I sign so many autographs, my hand hurts."
Semjonova's credentials include a remarkable 18-year career in which she never
lost a single game playing in international basketball. Few athletes have so
completely and thoroughly dominated their individual sport like the seven-foot
Semjonova.Her career began in 1968, and over the next two decades, she compiled some 45 medals, including 15 gold medals from the Soviet National Championships, 11 gold medals from the highly competitive European Championships and three gold medals from the World Championships. In the short history of women's Olympic basketball, Semjonova earned two gold medals playing for the Soviet Union in the 1976 and 1980 Games. Interestingly, it was Semjonova who almost single-handedly defeated the U.S. and fellow Hall of Famers Lusia Harris-Stewart and Ann Meyers in the 1976 Olympic championship game. Seventeen years later, the trio all became members of the Basketball Hall of Fame. |
Name: Uljana Larionovna Semjonova Nickname: N/A Born: March 09, 1952 Status: Retired Origin: Medumi, Daugavpils, Latvia Height: 7-0/2,13m Weight: ?? Schools: N/A Drafted: Undrafted Languages: English Website: InterBasket Teams (jersey): USSR National Team, TTT Daugawa, Riga Latvia (USSR), Tintoretto (Spain), Valenciennes Orchies (France) Ibn Notes: Uljana Semjonova is one of the strongest competitors in international basketball history, men's or women's. Standing 7' tall, she crushed competitors for nearly two decades. In 18 years of professional competition, Semjonova never lost a single game of international competition! Uljana, using her imposing size, left-handed hook shot and great shooting touch, led her teams to 2 gold medals in the Olympics (1976 and 1980), the European Cup Championships 10 times (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985), the Champion of European Clubs' Cups over a dozen times (1968 to 1979, 1981, 1982 1983, 1987), and the World Championships 3 times (1971, 1975, 1983). All in all, Semjonova has collected some 45 medals in a career which began in 1968. 
An obvious giant in her sport, Semjonova was also a
hero in her home country Latvia; Uljana was voted most popular athlete 12 times
from the years 1970 to 1985. Few players have dominated their sports like
Semjonova and the basketball Hall-of-Fame recognized this as they inducted her
in 1993, making Semjonova the first non-us woman inducted. Just six years later,
in 1999, Uljana Semjonova was included in the inaugural induction into the
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. -Matt Blair & Ibn Staff |
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| Uljana Semjonova Links From our forum: Women's Basketball Forum Articles and other resources: Uljana Semjonova: Europe's Biggest Winner (FibaEurope.com) | |