The basket world bids farewell to one of its most imposing and, at the same time, most human figures. Uliana Semenovathe Latvian giant that dominated European basketball with a physical hegemony never seen before, has died at 73 years old. At 2.13 meters tall and with a track record that seems taken from a legend, Semenova was not only the pillar on which the Soviet Union built its sporting empire, but also became a symbol of improvement and kindness that had a deep impact in Spain in the 80s.
Born on March 9, 1952 in Medumi, Latvia, Semenova’s career is an endless parade of golden metals. During 18 years old wearing the USSR t-shirtonly tasted defeat on one occasion (against the United States in 1986). During that journey, he won two Olympic golds (Montreal 76 and Moscow 80), three World Cups and ten consecutive European Championships.
Your domain “at the zone” (as painting was then known) was absolute. With his almost lifelong club, TTT Riga (then Daugawa Riga), he raised 15 Soviet leagues and 11 European Cups. These figures led her to be the first non-American person – man or woman – to enter the prestigious Basketball Hall of Fameopening a path of international recognition that would culminate with his inclusion in the Halls of Fame of the FIBA and the FEB.
The Semenova “earthquake” in eighties Spain
Despite its international successes, in Spain She is remembered with special affection for her brief but impactful time in our league. In the 1987-1988 season, the USSR, in an unprecedented gesture with one of its icons, allowed a 35-year-old Semenova to sign for the team. Tintoretto Getafe.
He arrived in a Spain that was just beginning to professionalize its women’s basketballand she did so under conditions that today would be incredible: of the 1,100,000 pesetas that the club paid monthly for her, the rigid Soviet structure only allowed her to keep 52,000 pesetas. The rest went directly to the federation’s coffers. Despite being “squeezed” economically for his country and dragging a tortured body through the acromegalyUliana transformed a team struggling to avoid relegation into a league finalist.
“Here I felt like a star”
Beyond the points and rebounds, what resonated with the Spanish public was his eternal smile and kindness. Semenova was a kind giant which contrasted with the coldness that was assumed of athletes from the Eastern bloc. In the unforgettable documentary of Robinson Report broadcast in 2019, Uliana herself confessed through tears: “It was in Spain where I really felt like a basketball star.
In Getafe, people not only went to see a 2.13-meter woman; I was going to see an athlete who, despite having a destroyed foot and barely having the strength to run in the third game of the final, He never denied a greeting or a show of affection.
An eternal legacy
Semenova’s death closes a golden and complex chapter in 20th century sport. He was an icon instrumentalized by the politics of the Cold waran athlete who challenged the limits of her own physical growth and an ambassador who dignified the women’s basketball when he needed it most.
Today, the baloncesto mourns the player who made height a virtue and a smile her best defense. Uliana Semenova He leaves leaving a mark as big as his figure, reminding us that, sometimes, the most imposing giants are those with the most tender hearts.
