Belarusian Female Sportspersons

Olga Korbut is a former gymnast who represented the Soviet Union in two Olympic Games, winning four gold medals and two silver medals. Nicknamed the Sparrow from Minsk, Korbut also participated in the 18th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships where she won two gold medals and four silver medals. In 1988, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. 

Belarusian tennis player Victoria Azarenka has been a 2-time Australian Open champion, scripting history as the first Belarusian player to earn a Grand Slam singles title. She is also a 3-time US Open finalist and has a mixed-doubles gold and a singles bronze at the Olympics.

Known as the Belarusian Swan, Svetlana Boginskaya started off as a figure skater before moving on to gymnastics at age 6. By 14, she was part of the Soviet national gymnastics team. The three-time Olympic champion is now settled in Texas and owns businesses that provide gymnastics camps and apparel.

Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has had a career-high singles ranking of 2. She has 2 Grand Slam doubles titles in her kitty and is the current world number 1 in doubles. Her unique tiger tattoo on her left arm has earned her the nickname The Tiger.

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has won several titles and medals, including 2 European Games silver medals and a Summer Universiade gold medal. During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she accused her team officials of forcing her to participate in an event and later took refuge in Poland to avoid action against her.

The daughter of a basketball player mother and a hockey and tennis player father, Aliaksandra Sasnovich began playing tennis at age 9. She reached the 2019 US Open semi-finals and has had a career-best singles ranking of 30. She was banned from Wimbledon in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Belarusian former tennis-player Natallia Zvierava, counted among the best doubles-players of all-time, won 18 Grand Slam doubles-titles, including six at French Open; five at Wimbledon, four at US Open and three at Australian Open. She attained World No.1 doubles ranking in October 1991. Zvierava also won two mixed-doubles title at Australian Open and bronze in doubles at the 1992 Olympics.

At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva scripted history as the first female biathlete to win 3 titles at the same Olympic, winning 3 gold medals. She has won 3 more Olympic medals and 6 World Championship medals. While she initially represented Russia, she later switched to Belarus.

Belarusian tennis player Olga Govortsova has had a career-high ranking of 35 in singles and 24 in doubles. She has played for the Springfield Lasers and the Sacramento Capitals in the mixed-gender tennis league World TeamTennis. She has also competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Melitina Staniouta is a Belarusian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She represented Belarus in World Championships and European Championships where she won many silver and bronze medals. Melitina Staniouta is perhaps best known for winning two gold medals at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia.

Vera Lapko is a Belarusian tennis player who has won several singles and doubles titles on the ITF Circuit so far. She also competes in Grand Slam events and has represented her country in important tournaments like the Billie Jean King Cup.

Ekaterina Vandaryeva is a Belarusian kickboxer best known for winning the WKN Championship title in 2011 after defeating Joanna Jędrzejczyk. She also won the IFMA European Championship title in 2009 and 2012. Ekaterina Vandaryeva has also competed in other popular promotions like ONE Championship.    

Retired Belarusian rhythmic gymnast Katsiaryna Halkina has won numerous medals, including 4 silver medals at both the World and European Championships. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she had scored 6th in the individual all-around final. Post-retirement, she moved to Moscow, where she joined a master’s degree.

Russian-Belarusian figure skater Viktoriia Safonova competed for Russia before switching to Belarus in 2019. She participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She has also been an Ice Star champion and a Belarusian national champion twice. In 2021-22, she had a world ranking of 21.

Alex Bentley is a basketball player who has played for popular WNBA teams like Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun. Although she was born in the USA, Alex Bentley represents the Belarus women's national basketball team at the international level. In 2013, she was honored with the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award.

Aliaksandra Herasimenia is a Belarusian retired swimmer best known for winning two silver medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. At the 2016 Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the 50 metre freestyle event. Aliaksandra Herasimenia has also won gold medals at World Championships and European Championships.

Leila Rajabi is a shot putter who represented Belarus from 2001 to 2007. Since 2007, she has been representing Iran. Rajabi is best known for winning the silver medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Leila Rajabi is the current Iranian national record holder in shot put.

Yulia Nestsiarenka is a Belarusian athlete who specialized in the 100 metres event. She is best known for winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She also won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, 2005 World Championships, and 2006 European Championships. Currently, Nestsiarenka is one of the members of the Belarus Olympic Committee.

Though born in the US, gymnast Kylie Dickson competed for Belarus, in spite of having no Belarusian ancestry. The 2016 Olympian for Belarus still lived and trained in the US and attended the same gym as American Olympian McKayla Maroney. A US elite, she had been part of the U.S. Classic, too.

Yelena Leuchanka is a Belarusian basketball player who plays as a center for the popular Greek club Panathinaikos. She has also played for other prestigious clubs like Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics. Yelena Leuchanka has also represented the national team in important tournaments like the 2007 EuroBasket in Italy where she won the bronze medal.

Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in long jump. She is best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. She also won a silver medal at the 2019 European Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Belarusian rhythmic gymnast Alina Harnasko started training in the sport at age 3. She has not only won a World Championship gold medal but also has an Olympic bronze medal in her kitty. She is also a 3-time Grand Prix Final gold medal winner. She also enjoys creating content for her YouTube channel.

Belarusian athlete Elvira Herman has not just won a European Championship gold but has also bagged a team silver at the 2019 European Games. She is a master of sprint hurdles and represents the club SK FPB. She specializes in the 100m and 60m hurdles.

Iryna Kurachkina is a Belarusian freestyle wrestler best known for winning the silver medal in the 57 kg category at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. She has also won medals in important tournaments like World Championships, European Championships, and European Games. In 2020, Iryna Kurachkina won a gold medal at the Individual World Cup in Belgrade, Serbia.

Apart from winning an Olympic silver medal, retired Belarusian rhythmic gymnast Yulia Raskina has also been a 2-time European champion. Born to sports-loving parents, she began training at age 7. She has also been part of Cirque du Soleil's Corteo and now serves as the coach of the German national rhythmic gymnastic team.

Volha Mazuronak is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in long-distance running. She is best known for winning a gold medal at the 2018 European Championships. A three-time national champion, Volha Mazuronak has also won marathons in places like Siberia and California.

Alina Talay is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in 100-meter hurdles. She achieved popularity in 2012 when she won a gold medal at the European Championships in Helsinki, Finland. In the same year, she went on to win a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships. In 2015, Alina Talay won a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Yuliya Balykina was a Belarusian sprinter who competed at the 2012 Olympics where she participated in the women's 4×100 metres relay and the women's 100 metres events. In 2013, she was banned for two years after testing positive for drostanolone in a doping test. In 2015, Balykina was found dead near Minsk and her former boyfriend confessed to the murder.

Liubov Charkashyna is a Belarusian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Over the course of her career, Liubov Charkashyna also won medals at the World Championships, European Championships, and Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix.

Inna Zhukova is an individual rhythmic gymnast who represents Belarus in international competitions. She is best known for winning a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. Inna Zhukova has also won medals at the World Championships, European Championships, and the Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix.

Anastasiia Salos is a Russian-born individual rhythmic gymnast who represents Belarus in international competitions. She is best known for winning bronze medals at the World Championships. Anastasiia Salos has also won medals at the European Championships and the Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix.

Belarusian hammer thrower Aksana Miankova was a teenager when she began training in the sport. Though she won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she lost it after testing positive for banned drugs. She is the second-best thrower of all time, after German thrower Betty Heidler

Olga Puchkova is a Russian tennis player who represented Belarus as a junior player. After turning professional, Puchkova started competing in the ITF Circuit, winning a couple of titles in 2003 and 2004. She has also participated in Grand Slam Singles and Doubles events, reaching the third round of the 2012 US Open in the former.

Retired Soviet rhythmic gymnast Marina Lobatch was 7 when she started training in the sport. She later didn’t just win an Olympic gold medal, becoming the youngest rhythmic gymnast Olympic champion, but also won a World Championship and 2 European Championships. She now serves the Belarusian Gymnastics Federation as their coach.

Retired Belarusian gymnast Svetlana Baitova has been a World champion and an Olympic gold medalist, apart from winning a World Championship silver. She was the first to perform the double-twisting Yurchenko vault. Post-retirement, she leads a low-key life and works as a gymnastics coach in Mogilev.

Retired Belarusian tennis player Olga Barabanschikova had a career-high ranking of 49 in singles. A 2-time Olympian, she achieved her best Grand Slam performance in 2000, when she reached the last 16 at Wimbledon. After a tendon injury ended her career, she took to sports broadcasting on TV.

Dzinara Alimbekava is a Kazakhstan-born biathlete who represents Belarus in international competitions. She is best known for winning a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. She also won a bronze medal at the 2019 European Championships in Raubichi. A professionally trained pianist, Dzinara Alimbekava also skates and practices snowboarding.

Hanna Huskova is a Belarusian professional freestyle skier who specializes in aerials. She is best known for winning the gold medal in the women's aerials event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Hanna Huskova also won a silver medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. 

Chess sensation and International Master Olga Badelka initially played for Belarus and now represents Russia. She was also named a Woman Grandmaster in 2019. Previously, she has won several medals for Belarus at the European and World Youth Chess Championships. She now studies linguistics at the University of Missouri.

Karyna Demidik is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in high jump. She started hogging the limelight in 2017 when she won a silver medal at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Grosseto, Italy. She then went on to win a gold medal at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Iryna Zhuk is a Belarusian athlete who specializes in pole vaulting. She is best known for winning the bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. Iryna Zhuk has also represented Belarus at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, reaching the final in the latter event.

Lidziya Marozava is a Belarusian professional tennis player who achieved popularity in 2015 when she won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea. Lidziya Marozava has also represented her country at the Billie Jean King Cup.

Retired athlete Tatyana Ledovskaya competed for the USSR and later for Belarus. Her achievements include winning silver medal in 400 metre hurdles and gold with teammates in 4x400 metres relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics; and gold in 400 m hurdles and gold in 4×400 m relay at the 1991 World Championships.  

Iryna Shymanovich is a Belarusian professional tennis player who won the silver medal in the girls' singles event at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. She has also represented Belarus in important tournaments like the Billie Jean King Cup. Iryna Shymanovich also competes on the ITF Women's Circuit, where she has won many titles.

Ekaterina Karsten is a Belarusian rower best known for winning two Olympic gold medals, one each at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. A seven-time Olympian, Karsten represented the Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics before becoming the first medallist from Republic of Belarus in 1996. Ekaterina Karsten, who specializes in single sculls, is also a six-time World Champion.

Nadezhda Skardino is a Belarusian retired biathlete who competed at the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal and a gold medal respectively. She also represented Belarus at the 2007 and 2016 European Championships, winning a bronze medal and a gold medal respectively. At the 2011 World Championships, Nadezhda Skardino won a bronze medal.

Nadzeya Astapchuk is a Belarusian shot putter who was stripped of many titles including an Olympic gold medal for failing a drug test. The World Athletics disqualified all her results since August 2005, costing her the world championship title among other prestigious titles. Prior to her disqualifications, Nadzeya Astapchuk had won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championships.

Vasilisa Marzaliuk is a Belarusian wrestler who has represented her country in important tournaments like the World Championships and European Championships, winning three bronze medals and a silver medal so far in both tournaments. Vasilisa Marzaliuk is perhaps best known for winning a gold medal each at the 2015 and 2019 European Games.

Maria Itkina was a Soviet sprinter who set several world records in various events like 100, 200, and 400 meters during her career. She is also known for competing at the European Athletics Championships, winning four gold medals in 1954, 1958, and 1962. In the 1958 Championships, Itkina also won a bronze medal.

Alaina Kwan is an American artistic gymnast who competes for Belarus in international tournaments. Kwan became part of the Belarusian National Gymnastics team in 2015, in spite of having no affiliation to Belarus. This sparked a controversy, attracting criticisms from gymnastics fans. Alaina Kwan went on to represent Belarus at the 2015 World Championships.