Elena Belova

Elena Belova, born on July 28, 1947, is a distinguished retired Russian foil fencer, celebrated for her remarkable achievements in the sport. Competing in the Olympics from 1968 to 1980, she made history by becoming the first female fencer to secure four Olympic gold medals. Her Olympic journey was nearly crowned with a fifth gold in 1976, but a narrow defeat in her final pool match prevented this milestone.

Beyond her Olympic success, Belova's prowess was evident on the world stage, where she clinched eight world titles, including an individual championship in 1969 and team victories from 1970 to 1979. Her dedication to fencing was paralleled by her academic pursuits; she graduated from the Minsk Institute of Pedagogy in 1970 and later earned a PhD in the same field.

In her personal life, shortly before the 1968 Olympics, she married Vyacheslav Belov, a future world champion in modern pentathlon, adopting the hyphenated surname Novikova-Belova. After retiring from competitive fencing post-1980 Olympics, she welcomed her first child in 1987 at the age of forty. Following her divorce from Belov, she married composer Valery Ivanov, who honored her with a waltz.

Elena's contributions to sports have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Olympic Order in Silver in 1997 and the Pierre de Coubertin Medal in 2007. In a fitting tribute to her legacy, the Jovian asteroid 24426 Belova was named in her honor on May 14, 2021, celebrating her impact on the world of fencing and beyond.