 Elena Belova c. 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Elena Dmitriyevna Novikova-Belova (néeNovikova) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1947-07-28)28 July 1947 (age 77) Sovetskaya Gavan,Khabarovsk Kray,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Fencing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Dynamo Minsk Army Club Minsk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Elena Dmitriyevna Novikova-Belova (Russian:Елена Дмитриевна Новикова-Белова,néeNovikova, born 28 July 1947) is a retired Russianfoilfencer, known professionally simply asElena Belova. She competed at the1968,1972,1976 and1980 Olympics in the individual and team events and won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal, becoming the first female fencer to win four Olympic gold medals. She nearly won a fifth gold in 1976, but lost her last pool match to the last-placed fencer. Belova also won eight world titles, individually in 1969, and with the Soviet team in 1970–1979.[1]
Shortly before the1968 Olympics, she marriedVyacheslav Belov, a future world champion inmodern pentathlon, and hyphenated her last name from Novikova to Novikova-Belova.[1] She retired after the 1980 Olympics, and gave birth in 1987, aged 40. After divorcing Belov, she married her second husband, composer Valery Ivanov, who devoted awaltz to her, while keeping the surname Novikova-Belova.[2]
In 1970, Belova graduated from the Minsk Institute of Pedagogy, she holds a PhD in this discipline. In 1997 she was awarded theOlympic Order in Silver, and in 2007 thePierre de Coubertin Medal.[3][4] On 14 May 2021, Jovian asteroid24426 Belova, discovered by astronomers with theLINEAR program in 2000, wasnamed in her honor.[5]
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