Uljana Semjonova, the Latvian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union and for TTT Riga, becoming the best women's basketball player in the world during the 1970s and 80s, has died at the age of 73. Measuring 2.13 meters, or 7 ft, she was one of the tallest female basketball players, with a foot size of 58 (EU), forcing her to wear specially custom shoes.
The towering size of Semjonova was equally matched by skill and poise, making her a true icon of basketball and women's sports as a whole: with her on the team, the Soviet Union remained unbeaten, as they won gold Olympic medals in 1976 and 1980, World Championships in 1971, 1975 and 1983, and ten European Championship, every single one between 1968 and 1985.
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She also won 15 league championships in the Soviet Union and 11 European Champion's Cup with TTT Riga between 1968 and 1987. She retired in 1989, after brief stints in Spain (Tintoretto Getafe) and France (Valenciennes-Orchies), and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, the first non-American player to enter. She was later inducted in FIBA's hall of fame in 2007, and in the Spanish Federation hall of fame in 2022. After retirement, she worked as Chair of the Latvian Olympian Social Foundation.
Born in 1952, Semjonova suffered from acromegaly, an excess of growth hormone, and by the age 12 she was already 1.90 meters tall. She joined TTT Riga at the age of 14 and the Soviet national team at the age of 16. Sadly, her health problems took its toll later in life: she had a leg amputated in 2022.
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"Latvia has suffered yet another huge loss, as sports legend Uljana Semjonova has passed away. The Olympic, world and European basketball gold girl, a very warm-hearted and responsive person. Our deepest condolences to Uljana's family, colleagues and fans", posted Latvian president Edgars Rinkēvičs after the passing of Uljana Semjonova.