Famous Belarusians from history:
Barbara Radziwill (Grand Duchess, Queen of Poland) - famous Lithuanian beauty, personality Renaissance type, heiress Gashtoldov possessions. Wife of Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund II Augustus.
She was born in 1520, died in 1551, six months after his coronation. She was buried in the Vilnius Cathedral.
Barbara Radziwill became the heroine of many legends, which acts as a black lady, and romantic love stories of Barbara and Zhigimonta subject of numerous works of art.
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Born in Belarus in 1746, Kosciuszko is considered a national hero in America, Belarus and Poland for his leadership in the American Revolutionary War and the uprising against Imperial Russia and the Prussian Empire in 1794.
Kościuszko was born to a family of noble origin and was educated at the Piarist college in Lubieszów and the military academy in Warsaw, where he later served as an instructor. Kościuszko’s outstanding abilities soon attracted the attention of King Stanisław II Augustus Poniatowski, who sent him to Paris for further study in military and civil architecture and in painting. Returning home in 1774, he taught drawing and mathematics to the daughters of a general, Józef Sosnowski; he fell in love with Ludwika, one of the daughters, and tried unsuccessfully to elope with her.
Famous scientists from Belarus
Ignat Domejko
Born in Belarus in 1802. Domejko was a well-known geologist who spent most of his life in Chile where he became a national hero. He is officially recognised by UNESCO for his achievements.He is outstanding geologist, mineralogist, geographer and ethnologist, longtime rector of the University of Chile and a member of many scientific societies, one of the most famous students of Vilnius University and the national hero of Chile. He was born on the territory of present-day Belarus, which for seven years before he was born on the third partition of Poland became part of the Russian Empire. He adopted the cultural and political traditions of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and has an important place in the history of science and culture in Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Chile.
Alexander Chizhevsky
Born in the Grodno region in 1897, Chizhevsky was an acclaimed scientist who studied the biological effects of the sun and universe, including how solar activity maps to periods of war throughout history. Alexander Leonidovich Chizhevsky, a scientist famous for aero-ions propaganda, was born in the Tsekhanovets village of the Grodno region to the family of a military man. Chizhevsky’s mother died of tuberculosis, when the boy was several months old, and Chizhevsky was brought up by his aunt and grandmother. Alexander was a frail boy, and his relatives often took him to long trips abroad – Italy, Southern France, Greece, Egypt. In 1906 his father’s service brought he family to the town of Bela, where Alexander started attending a secondary school. The boy received very good education at home, which covered natural and exact sciences, but most of all future scientist liked humanities, since he had a taste for them. The boy dreamt of becoming a painter or writer, but didn’t forget about science as well. Chizhevsky showed a strong interest in astronomy, which grew after he met Constantine Tsiolkovsky.
Sporting heroes from Belarus
Alexander Medved Belarusian sportsman and trainer (freestyle wrestling). Olympic Champion (1964, 1968, 1972) and World Champion (1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969–1971). He is recognised as the best freestyle wrestler of the XX century
Honored Master of Sports.
Three-time Olympic champion. Games winner XVIIIOlimpiady in Tokyo (Japan) in 1964, XIX Olympiad in Mexico City (Mexico) in 1968 and XX Olympiad in Munich (Germany) 1972
Seven-time world champion - 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971.
The three-time European champion - 1966, 1968, 1971.
Nine-time champion of the USSR - 1961-1969 years.
Three-time winner of the Games of the peoples of the USSR - 1963, 1967, 1971.
Vice-President of the NOC of Belarus.
Honored coach of Byelorussian SSR and the USSR.
Honored Worker of Physical Culture BSSR.
Head of the Belarusian Federation of struggle.
He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, two Orders of Honor, a special prize of UNESCO for the nobility in the sport, as well as the Golden Order of the Golden Bough and the International Federation of Associated styles, recognizing it as the best wrestlers of the twentieth century.
Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus in the field of physical culture and sports.
Professor, Head of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio Electronics.
Honorary citizen of the city of Minsk, White Church, Makhachkala, Hasavyurt
Olga Korbut
The legendary gymnast won 4 Olympic Gold medals (three of them at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972). In 1972 Korbut was named Best Sportswoman in the World.Olga Korbut is a sports icon from a country of Belarus who almost single-handedly turned gymnastics into the popular sport as we know it today.She did more to ease the tensions of the Cold War than all the politicians and diplomats of the day put together.
Korbut brought dreams and hopes to millions and an intense interest in the sport that started an explosion of new training centers. She created a new gymnastics industry.
Olympics: 4 Gold, 2 Silver
World Championships: 2 Gold, 3 Silver
European Championships: 1 Silver.
Julia Nesterenko
Nesterenko won the 100 metres gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Julia Nesterenko was born on June 15, 1979 in Brest.
She is a Master of Sport.
Olympic Champion of the XXVIII Olympic Games in Athens (Greece) in 2004 in 100 m sprint.
Bronze Medalist of the World Championship in 2004 (60 m, indoors).
Awarded with the Order of Fatherland of Third Degree.
Julia’s first coach – Sergej Salyamanovich.
Igor Makarov
Makarov won a gold medal in judo at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.He is a professional ice hockeyplayer. Makarov was selected 33rd overall in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He spent two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League before being signed to a two-year contract by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. In August 2011, Makarov signed a three-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg.
Maxim Mirnyi
Maxim Mirnyi is the most famous Belarusian tennis player. He has won a series of international doubles titles and has led the Belarus national team to its best-ever result in the Davis Cup.He is a profeddional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, reaching a career-high of World No. 18 (August 2003) and finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a record of 47 wins and 27 losses in 35 ties played. Mirnyi reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in June 2003 and holds nine Grand Slam titles: Men's Doubles in the 2000 and 2002 US Open and in the 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2012 French Open; and mixed doubles in the 1998 and 2007 U.S. Opens and 1998 Wimbledon. He earned the nickname "The Beast" during his time on tour. Mirnyi has played with a host of doubles partners, namely forming long-term partnerships with Mahesh Bhupathi, Jonas Björkman, Lleyton Hewitt, Jamie Murray, Andy Ram, and Daniel Nestor, and short-term partnerships with other top competitors on the doubles tour and the top singles tennis player Roger Federer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Mirnyi carried the flag of Belarus at the Opening Ceremony on the 27 July 2012, and won the gold medal in the mixed doubles with Victoria Azarenka on 5th August 2012.
Victoria Azarenka
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1, September 2012.She is a Belarusian professional tennis player and the current World No. 1. She won the 2012 Australian Opensingles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning the Bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, the 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi, the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan and the gold medal in the mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics with Max Mirnyi.
At age 16, Azarenka moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, from Minsk, Belarus, to train. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka's mother. In 2010 she briefly considered a break from the sport of tennis to focus on education; however, after a conversation with her grandmother, she decided to continue playing. It is the inspiration from her grandmother that is regarded as the key for her continued developments in the sport. As of March 2012, Azarenka is romantically involved with fellow tennis player Sergei Bubka Jr, son of pole vaulter Sergey Bubka.
Darya Domracheva
The bronze medalist in the women's 15km individual race at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The winner of the Biathlon Award 2010 (Female Athlete of the Year).Sheis a Belarusian biathlete who has been competing in the Biathlon World Cup since 2005.Darya Domracheva started her sports career with cross-country skiing in 1992 but switched to biathlon in 1999. She joined Belarus’ national biathlon team in 2006 (made her junior team debut in 2005). Darya won sprint and pursuit at the 2005 IBU Youth and Junior World Championships in Kontiolahti (Finland). She finished 40th in the individual race (the diopter fell off, and she missed 5 targets at the third shooting stage.)
Darya Domracheva took the 3rd place in the pursuit and the 4th place in the individual at the 2006 Junior World Championships in Presque Isle (USA).
In 2007 she picked up two silver medals in sprint and pursuit at the Junior World Championships in Vall Martello (Italy).
Her definite breakthrough came during the 2008/2009 season when she earned two third places and one second place.
At the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, she won the Bronze medal in the Women's 15 Kilometre Individual race, at the Whistler Olympic Park venue. Later in the same season, on 13 March, she won her first World Cup race in the sprint in Kontiolahti,Finland. The next day she also won the pursuit.
Ruslan Salei
One of the best sportsmen in Belarus’ hockey history, captain of Belarus' national team. Ruslan Salei is Belarus’ first ice hockey player to be promoted to the Stanley Cup Finals.
He was a Belarusianprofessional ice hockey player. Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings,Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
Salei died on September 7, 2011, when a Yakovlev Yak-42 passenger aircraft, carrying the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team of the Kontinental Hockey League crashed near Yaroslavl on its way to Minsk, Belarus, to start the 2011–12 KHL season.