Tamara Belenkova
Personal information
Full name	Tamara Anatoliivna Belenkova
Nationality	Ukraine
Born	(1958-07-17)July 17, 1958 Mozoliivka, Poltava oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	29 March 2017(2017-03-29) (aged 58) Kyiv, Ukraine
Honours Women's deaf volleyball Deaflympics Representing  Soviet Union 1981 Cologne Team Representing  Ukraine 2005 Melbourne Team 2009 Taibei Team 1997 Copenhagen Team 1993 Sofia Team 2001 Rome Team World Championships 2008 Buenos Aires Team

Tamara Anatoliivna Belenkova née Kuka (Ukrainian: Тамара Анатоліївна Беленкова (Кука), 17 July 1958 – 29 March 2017) was a Soviet and Ukrainian deaf volleyballist.^[1][2]

Tamara Belenkova was born on July 17, 1958^[3] in Mozoliivka in a working family. Due to the disease, she became deaf when she was only 1 year old.^[4]

In 1965, she entered the first grade of the Myrhorod special school for hearing-impaired children. In 1973, Tamara graduated from the 8th grade of Myrhorod special school and her parents transferred her to the Kyiv special school No. 18, where she studied until 1976.^[4]

In 1975 and 1976, Belenkova won a USSR Deaf Volleyball Cup and became a member of the Soviet Union Deaf Volleyball Team.^[4]

In 1981, Belenkova represented the Soviet Union at the Summer Deaflympics, held in Cologne, where she won a gold medal.^[5]

In 1982–1989 Belenkova competed at the European Deaf Volleyball Championships, winning two gold medals overall.^[4]

In 1993, Belenkova won a bronze medal at the Summer Deaflympics in Sofia.^[6] The following year, at the 1994 European Deaf Volleyball Championships, Belenkova became a European champion with Ukrainian national team.^[7]

In 1997, at the Summer Deaflympics in Copenhagen, Belenkova won a silver medal in women's deaf volleyball.^[8] In 1999, at the European Deaf Volleyball Championships in Moscow, Belenkova became a European champion with Ukrainian national team.^[4]

At the 2001 Summer Deaflympics in Rome Belenkova repeated her achievement of 1993 Summer Deaflympics, winning a bronze medal.^[9]

In 2005, Belenkova competed at the Summer Deaflympics in Melbourne, winning a gold medal.^[10]

In 2008, Belenkova competed at the World Deaf Volleyball Championships, winning a gold medal and becoming a world champion.^[11]

The following year, Belenkova competed at the 2009 Summer Deaflympics, where she won a gold medal.^[12]

On March 29, 2017, Tamara Belenkova died in Kyiv.^[2][13]

• Tamara Belenkova at Deaflympics