Julia Beljajeva
{{Short description|Estonian fencer (born 1992)}}
{{Infobox fencer
| image = Julia Beljajeva podium 2013 Fencing WCH EFS-IN t214546.jpg
| caption = Beljajeva at the 2013 World Fencing Championships
| birth_date ={{birth date and age|1992|7|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = Tartu, Estonia
| height = 1.76 m
| weight = 60 kg
| weapon = Épée
| hand = Right-handed
| club = Tartu Kalev
| headcoach = Natalja Kotova
| fieranking = [https://fie.org/athletes/20450 current ranking]
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold | 2020 Tokyo | Team épée}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2013 Budapest|Individual épée}}
{{MedalGold|2017 Leipzig|Team épée}}
{{MedalSilver|2014 Kazan|Team épée}}
{{MedalBronze|2017 Leipzig|Individual épée}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Games}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Baku|Team épée}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2013 Zagreb|Team épée}}
{{MedalGold|2016 Toruń|Team épée}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Montreux|Team épée}}
{{MedalBronze|2012 Legnano|Team épée}}
{{MedalBronze|2017 Tbilisi|Individual épée}}
{{MedalBronze|2018 Novi Sad|Individual épée}}
{{MedalBronze|2018 Novi Sad|Team épée}}
}}
Julia Beljajeva (born 21 July 1992) is an Estonian right-handed épée fencer.{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/athletes/20450|access-date=2021-12-13|website=FIE.org}}
Beljajeva is a two-time team European champion, 2017 team world champion, and 2013 individual world champion.
A two-time Olympian, Beljajeva is a 2021 team Olympic champion.
Beljajeva competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2016/241|access-date=2021-12-13|website=FIE.org}}
Career
File:Final 2013 Fencing WCH EFS-IN t210501.jpg at the 2013 World Championships final.]]
Beljajeva took up fencing when she was ten years old at the suggestion of her aunt.{{cite web|url=http://epl.delfi.ee/news/sport/julia-beljajeva-finaalmatsis-votsin-riske-sest-kaotada-polnud-midagi?id=66577285|title=Julia Beljajeva: finaalmatšis võtsin riske, sest kaotada polnud midagi|author=Andrus Nilk|newspaper=Eesti Päevaleht|date=13 August 2013|language=et}} Her first significant award was a bronze medal in the Nordic Cadet Championships, followed in 2008 by a silver medal, then a gold medal in 2009 in the Cadet European Championships.
In the senior category, she was a member of the Estonia team that won the bronze medal in women's team épée at 2012 European Championships in Legnano and the gold medal at the 2013 European Championships in Zagreb. Ranked 69th in the International Fencing Federation's rankings, she created an upset by defeating 15–14 world No. 1 Ana Maria Brânză in the quarter-finals of the 2013 World Fencing Championships. She then prevailed 14–13 world over No.5 Emese Szász and defeated 15–14 world No.4 Anna Sivkova to win the gold medal and Estonia's second world title in épée.{{cite web|url=http://www.fie.org/en/news/wch-2013-estonia-dominates-the-epee-events-0-3414|title=WCH 2013: Estonia dominates the épée events|publisher=International Fencing Federation|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104235517/http://www.fie.org/en/news/wch-2013-estonia-dominates-the-epee-events-0-3414|archivedate=2014-11-04}} She finished the 2012–13 season ranked 9th, a career best as of 2014.
In the 2013–14 season Beljajeva climbed her first World Cup with a silver medal in the Doha Grand Prix, followed by a quarter-finals placing in Barcelona. At the European Championships in Strasbourg, she lost in the second round to Switzerland's Tiffany Géroudet. In the team event, Estonia were defeated by Russia in the semi-finals, then by Italy and finished 4th. At the World Championships in Kazan she was overcome in the table of 16 by teammate Erika Kirpu, who eventually earned a bronze medal, and could not defend her title. In the team event, Estonia took their revenge against Italy in the semi-finals, prevailing 42–32, but lost to Russia in the final and ended up with a silver medal. Beljajeva finished the season No. 16.
Medal Record
= Olympic Games =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Year ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |
| 2021
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|JPN}} Tokyo, Japan |Team Women's Épée | bgcolor="gold" |1st{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2021/247|access-date=2021-08-10|website=FIE.org}} |
= World Championship =
= European Championship =
= Grand Prix =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Date ! style="width:17em" |Location ! style="width:12em" |Event !Position |
| 2017-03-24
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|HUN}} Budapest, Hungary |Individual Women's Épée | bgcolor="caramel" |3rd{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2017/449|access-date=2021-12-13|website=FIE.org}} |
| 2019-01-25
| rowspan="1" align="left" |{{flagicon|QAT}} Doha, Qatar |Individual Women's Épée | bgcolor="gold" |1st{{Cite web|title=INTERNATIONAL FENCING FEDERATION - The International Fencing Federation official website|url=http://fie.org/competitions/2019/79|access-date=2021-12-13|website=FIE.org}} |
= World Cup =
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{FIE|20450}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131228023704/http://www.fie.ch/Competitions/FencerDetail.aspx?param=265DAEDCE5BF8587CDD3A42D7A849BE9 archive])
- {{EFC|00000394}}
- {{Olympic Channel|julia-beljajeva}}
- {{Sports reference|be/julia-beljajeva-1}}
- [http://www.esbl.ee/biograafia/Julia_Beljajeva Julia Beljajeva] at ESBL.ee {{In lang|et}} ([http://www.translatetheweb.com/?from=et&to=en&ref=trb&a=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.esbl.ee%2Fbiograafia%2FJulia_Beljajeva in English])
{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{Succession box|title=Estonian Young Athlete of the Year|before=Anett Kontaveit|after=Katrina Lehis|years=2013}}
{{Succession box|title=Estonian Athlete of the Year|before=Triin Aljand |after=Erika Kirpu|years=2013}}
{{Succession box|title=Estonian Athlete of the Year|before=Ksenija Balta |after=Saskia Alusalu|years=2017}}
{{S-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Fencing Women Team Épée}}
{{World Champions in Women's Epee}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beljajeva, Julia}}
Category:Sportspeople from Tartu
Category:Estonian people of Russian descent
Category:Estonian female épée fencers
Category:Fencers at the 2015 European Games
Category:European Games medalists in fencing
Category:European Games silver medalists for Estonia
Category:Olympic fencers for Estonia
Category:Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class
Category:World Fencing Championships medalists
Category:Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic medalists in fencing
Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics