Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics and basketball teams won gold and bronze medals, respectively. For the first time in its history, Russia won Olympic gold medals in judo. Among the nation's medalists were Aliya Mustafina, who emerged as one of the most successful Russian gymnasts in history, with a total of four Olympic medals at a single games, and Maria Sharapova, who won silver in the women's tennis singles against United States' Serena Williams. Anastasia Davydova became the most successful synchronized swimmer in Olympic history, with a total of five gold medals, while her compatriots Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina managed to win gold medals
Belarus at the Olympics Lillehammer, Norway. Since 1994, Belarus has won medals at each Winter and Summer Olympics it has participated in. Athletes from the Soviet Union began participating in the Olympic Games in 1952, winning 194 total medals in the Winter Games and 1010 at the Summer Games for a total of 1204 medals. Of those medals, 473 were gold, 376 were silver and 355 were bronze. The Belarusian collection of medals began with Mikhail Krivonosov winning silver in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. The Soviet Republic's first gold medal was won by Leonid Geishtor and Sergei