Ulyana Semenova The first woman in the Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame, the tallest female basketball player in the world. Height 2m 10 cm. Date of Birth: 09.03.1952 Country: Latvia

Biography of Ulyana Semenova

Ulyana Semenova, the first woman inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, is recognized as the tallest basketball player in the world. She was a Soviet basketball player, a two-time Olympic champion, a three-time world champion, and a 10-time European champion. Semenova was awarded the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in 1971.

Early Life
Semenova was born in the Lithuanian city of Zarasai to a family of Old Believers. Due to the proximity, her father took her mother to give birth in Zarasai instead of Daugavpils, where they lived. However, the newborn girl was mistakenly registered as Iuliakaya instead of Ulyana.

During her teenage years, Semenova experienced rapid growth and by the age of 13, she had reached a height of 1.90 meters. Her physical education teacher, Igor Antonovich Spogis, noticed her potential and recommended her to the trainers at the Riga Sports School. Within two years, Semenova was playing for the Riga Tram and Trolleybus Trust (TTT) Masters team. At the age of 16, she became the champion of the USSR for the first time.

The TTT team, already a six-time winner of the USSR Cup since 1960 and the European Champions Cup, was practically unbeatable with Semenova's towering 210-centimeter height. Her home club won a total of 15 championships in the USSR.

Sporting Career
Semenova was a member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and the team leader of the USSR national basketball team. She played as a center and was regarded as one of the tallest women in the former USSR. Semenova's exceptional height was a rare case of non-pathological gigantism.

One of Semenova's most memorable victories was the third gold medal in her career at the 1983 World Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil. During the game against the American team, a scandal erupted when coach Lydia Alexeeva threatened to boycott the match due to unfair officiating. Despite the controversy, Semenova received five fouls during the game and watched the final part from the bench. The outcome was decided two seconds before the final buzzer when Elena Chausova made two winning free throws, securing an 84-82 victory. This was the last gold medal for women's basketball in the USSR as the country boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

After a change in the coaching staff of the national team, Semenova was excluded from the lineup. Although she was invited back to the team in preparation for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Semenova declined the offer.

On March 11, 1987, Semenova, playing for TTT, won her final European title, the Ronchetti Cup. She then became the first Soviet basketball player to sign a foreign contract with the Spanish team "Tintoretto." Although the contract was worth $45,000 for six months, Semenova received only $400 per month from the Soviet Sports Committee.

Semenova ended her athletic career in 1989 in France. From 1989 to 1992, she served as the Vice President of the Latvian Olympic Committee. Since 1991, she has been the Chairperson of the Latvian Olympic Social Fund.

Semenova graduated from the Latvian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1973.