I was unable to identify the correct country for a couple of gold medal winning trampolinists. Little consolation that my guess was next door, so Belarussian gold medal winners it is!
Questions
What type of food are the Belarussian speciality draniki?
POTATO PANCAKES (You can fill them with meat)
Which principality or duchy existed from 987 to 1397 and stretched over large parts of what is now Belarus? The “Rus’ chronicles” mention that it was conquered by Vladimir the Great, then becoming associated with the Rurik dynasty and Kievan Rus’.
POLOTSK
Which town in the south of Belarus, that was part of Kievan Rus’ along with Pinsk, gave its name to a principality that existed from the 10th to the 14th centuries?
TUROV
Named for two countries, after which 1919 to 1921 war did Belarus lose half of its territory?
POLISH-SOVIET WAR
What two-word term has been used for a supranational organisation between Belarus and Russia following an agreement that was signed in 2000?
UNION STATE
Formed in 1992 and gaining its current name in 2002, Belarus is a member of the CSTO, which stands for what, and is made up of certain post-Soviet states?
COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANISATION
Set up in 2014 and containing five member states, also having the geographical outlier of Cuba as one of its observers, Belarus is a member of the EAEU, which stands for what?
EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION
Belarus participates in which EU project that is named for a capital city and based around the subject of energy?
BAKU INITIATIVE
Belarus has been suspended from which EU project, which promotes integrated economic strategy with countries formerly under Soviet influence?
EASTERN PARTNERSHIP
Also known as the Sudovians, which Baltic tribe with a strong warrior culture contributed to the formation of the Lithuanian state?
YOTVINGIANS
Which historical region with a two-word name, inhabited by Baltic Yotvingians, is also known as Black Rus’? Belarus was possibly named to distinguish it from this region.
BLACK RUTHENIA
Which Mother Superior of Polatsk Convent ordered a cross to be made in the 12th century? A cross carrying her name is an important symbol of the Eastern Orthodox church, though it no longer exists because it was looted by the Nazis during World War II.
ST EUPHROSYNE
Which last Pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania was on the winning side at the 1410 Battle of Grunwald and presided over the largest state in the Christian world? He was later styled as Wladyslaw II Jagiello.
JOGAILA
Which city of over 300,000 people near the Polish and Lithuanian borders in western Belarus is the capital of its own region?
GRODNO
Buried in Novodevichy cemetery, Minsk-born Yakov Zeldovich gives his name to what theoretical condensation of gas out of a primordial density fluctuation following the Big Bang? The first example may have been identified in 1991 using the Very Large Array in New Mexico.
ZELDOVICH PANCAKE
Winning Belarus’ only gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which male trampolinist also has a World Championship silver from 2019 and two World team golds, illustrating Belarus’ strength in depth at this event?
IVAN LITVINOVITCH
The only Belarussian athlete to win gold at Rio 2016 was which male trampolinist, who won a World Championship team gold in 2019 and with his successor Ivan Litvinovitch also has two World Championship Synchro golds?
ULADZISLAU HANCHAROU
A six-time Grand Slam winner in doubles with a US open quarter final back in 2002 being his best effort at Grand Slam singles, who partnered Victoria Azarenka to mixed doubles gold at London 2012?
MAX MIRNYI
Also having two bronze medals from 2000 and 2004 in the same event, Belarussian Sergei Martynov finally won gold at London 2012 in what sport, Belarus’ only individual gold at those games?
SHOOTING (50m rifle prone)
Later having a European Championship gold stripped for a doping violation, which 2007 World Champion in Weightlifting from Belarus also won the 2008 Olympic gold in the 105kg category, the only weightlifting gold for Belarus to date?
ANDREI ARAMNAŬ
The team of Raman Piatrushenka, Aliaksei Abalmasau, Artur Litvinchuk and Vadzim Makhneu brought home a 2008 Olympic gold for Belarus in which sport?
CANOEING
To add to the K-4 canoeing gold Belarus won in 2008, which brothers won gold in the C-2, managing silver when they tried to defend their title in London?
BAHDANOVICH (Andrei & Aliaksandr)
Ihar Makarau won 2004 Olymoic gold for Belarus in which sport, later going on to win European gold though his best efforts at the World Championship only resulted in a bronze?
JUDO
Beating Lauryn Williams and Veronica Campbell, which Belarussian won the 2004 women’s 100m, becoming the first non-black athlete to win the event since 1980? Additional success only came in relays with World and European Championship bronzes.
YULIA NESTSIARENKA
Which Belarussian won the women’s single sculls in both 1996 and 2000, becoming the only athlete from the country to win two Summer Olympic golds? She was beaten to silver and bronze in the two subsequent Olympics.
EKATERINA KARSTEN
Winning Olympic gold in the 2000 shot put and following that up with the 2001 World Championship title, which Belarussian tested positive for clenbuterol in 2003, resulting in her being banned from defending her Olympic title?
YANINA KOROLCHIK
Testing positive for steroids in 1992, which Belarussian became the oldest World Champion in athletics when she won the 2001 discus to add to her 1995 World Championship and 2000 Olympic gold?
ELLINA ZVEREVA
A gold medal winner at the 2018 Olympics in the women’s aerials, which Belarussian was defeated by Xu Mengtao when she tried to defend her title in 2022?
HANNA HUSKOVA
Actually born in Ukraine, which Belarussian preceded her compatriot Hanna Huskova as gold medal winner in the women’s aerials in 2014, having a rather outstanding surname?
ALLA TSUPER
Who is the outstanding Belarussian female biathlete who won three golds at Sochi, sticking around to help her teammates Nadezhda Skardino, Iryna Kryuko and Dzinara Alimbekava win a relay gold in 2018?
DARYA DOMRACHEVA
Similar to Alla Tsuper, which Belarussian male was born in modern-day Ukraine and won gold in the men’s aerials in 2014, recording the highest score in Olympics history during the process?
ANTON KUSHNIR
Starting a trend in the freestyle skiing aerials events at the Olympics, which Belarussian brought home the country’s first Winter Olympic gold in 2010, nine years after he won the World Championship for the only time?
ALEKSEI GRISHIN
Whittipedia 