World basketball is in mourning after learning of the death of the Latvian center Uliana Semenovawho had 73 years. She was one of the tallest players in history with a length of 2.13 metros and also achieved sporting feats such as two Olympic gold medals with the Soviet Union in the Games of Montreal 1976 y Moscow 1980establishing herself as one of the most outstanding athletes of those times.
The impact of Semenova in international basketball was reflected in his income at Hall of Fame in 1993 and to the one of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation), in 2007. Throughout its history, the Latvian giant achieved three world titles y 10 European Championships with the Soviet team. Furthermore, he played most of his career in the TTT Riga between 1967 y 1987and later played on teams Spain y France.
For its part, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) mourned the loss of the former player on its social networks: “World basketball is in mourning. The FEB expresses its condolences for the death of Uliana Semenova, member of the Hall of Fame of our sport”.
“Uliana Semyonova was one of the most special figures in the history of women’s basketball. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come,” stated the letter signed by the president of FIBA Europe, Jorge Garbajosaand executive director Kamil Novak remembering the athlete’s passing.
Regarding its history, the 12 yearslas Latvian sports authorities identified the potential of a girl by her unusual height 1,90 metrosdespite the fact that none of his seven brothers He was over 1.78 meters tall. Immediately, Semenova She was transferred to a boarding school specialized in Rigathe capital, where his development was evaluated and his athletic training began, at the same time that he was diagnosed acromegalya disorder linked to excess growth hormone somatotropa. This condition also affected other well-known basketball players, such as the Romanian George Muresan (2.31 meters) and the silver Jorge Gigante González (2,29).
Born on March 9, 1952 in Medumi, LatviaUliana grew up in a large lower-middle class family and spent her childhood on the outskirts of Daugavlips, a city located on the border with Lithuania and Belarus. During that stage, I had to go through four kilometers a day to attend school and barely had any contact with sports.
Before fulfilling 11 yearsI had never played basketball nor did I know its rules. Some time later he recalled his first impressions when watching a live game: “I was even surprised to see two men running freely without chasing the ball. They were the referees…”.
As highlights of his career, Uliana Semenova She is considered the most dominant player in the history of women’s basketball, since she conquered 42 official titles and lost only one match with the selection of the Soviet Union over 15 years of experience. In contrast, in recent times serious economic difficulties due to the socialist system of the former USSR, which withheld most of its international income.
The opportunity to play outside the Soviet Union was presented to the 35 yearswhen the government allowed his departure after paying USD 50.000 as an advance by a Spanish club, Tintoretto de Getafe. In Spain, he made such an impact because of his physique (he was 58 tall and weighed 135 kilos) that his arrival revolutionized the league and even forced design a special bed for its size. Despite his star status and popular enthusiasm, most of his salary was to be sent to the USSR: “I have received 480 dollars a month, out of a total of 10,000“, he declared at the time, acknowledging that he experienced hardships and that sometimes I didn’t have enough money to eata situation that her teammates and the club president tried to alleviate by giving her help.
After his retirement, which included a season at Valenciennes Orchies in France and the worsening of his health due to diabetes and other physical problems, he returned to Latviawhere she founded a basketball school for girls in vulnerable situations and worked on the local Olympic Committee. During his last years, Semenova lived in humble conditions y had difficulty walkingto the point that 14 years ago a charity match was required to pay for an operation.
In one of her statements recalled by the Latvian Basketball Federation on its website, Semenova once expressed: “Now, when my health deteriorates, I sometimes ask myself: Was it worth dedicating myself completely to my conscious life? I guess I’m a maximalist; I do everything I can, less is not enough for me. When I was young, my family taught me to do every job that I started with honesty, with total dedication and until the end.. At first, basketball seemed frivolous to me, until I fell in love with it thanks to the fantastic girls on the team.”
