Elena Dmitriyevna Novikova-Belova (Russian: Елена Дмитриевна Новикова-Белова, née ''Novikova'', born 28 July 1947) is a retired Russian

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

fencer. She competed at the 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics in the individual and team events and won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal, becoming the first female fencer to win four Olympic gold medals. She nearly won a fifth gold in 1976, but lost her last pool match to the last-placed fencer. Belova also won eight world titles, individually in 1969, and with the Soviet team in 1970–1979. Shortly before the 1968 Olympics she married to Vyacheslav Belov, a future world champion in

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

, and changed her last name from Novikova to Belova. She retired after the 1980 Olympics, and gave birth in 1987, aged 40. Her second husband, composer Valery Ivanov, devoted a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

to her. In 1970 Belova graduated from the Minsk institute of Pedagogy, she holds a PhD in this discipline. In 1997 she was awarded the Olympic Order in Silver, and in 2007 the

Pierre de Coubertin Medal The Pierre de Coubertin medal is a special decoration awarded by the International Olympic Committee that "pays tribute to institutions with a pedagogical and educational role and to people who, through their research and the creation of intellect ...

.Elena Belova Awarded Pierre de Coubertin Medal
National Olympic Committee of Belarus. On 14 May 2021, Jovian asteroid

24426 Belova 44 may refer to: * 44 (number) * one of the years 44 BC, AD 44, 1944, 2044 Military *44M Tas, a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II *44M Tas Rohamlöveg, a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas t ...

, discovered by astronomers with the

LINEAR Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship (''function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear r ...

program in 2000, was in her honor.

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* 1947 births Living people People from Sovetskaya Gavan Russian female foil fencers Soviet female foil fencers Olympic fencers of the Soviet Union Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Recipients of the Pierre de Coubertin medal Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in fencing Universiade silver medalists for the Soviet Union Sportspeople from Khabarovsk Krai {{Russia-fencing-bio-stub