Born in Voronezh, Lyubov Burda made her competitive debut at the 1967 USSR
Spartakiade. Only 14 years old, Burda placed third all-around (ahead of Polina
Astakhova and Ludmilla Tourischeva, both of whom were three-time Olympians by
the end of their careers).
In her first Olympics,
in 1968 in Mexico city, Burda's performances contributed to the Soviet's team
gold medal and earned her a spot in the AA competition. Unfortunately, nerves
(lack of experience/young age) must have caught up with her because she placed a
disappointing 25th AA.
Still only 15, Burda
continued past the 1968 Olympics. Although she did not represent the Soviet
Union at the 1969 European Championships (was she injured?), five months later
she won the USSR National Championships, which were held in Rostov. That same
year she attended the Junior Spartakiade in Yerevan. It was at this meet that
she first met eventual Soviet superstar Nikolai
Andrianov.
The following year,
Burda retained her national crown and represented the USSR at the 1970 World
Championships in Ljubljana, Yugoslovia. Burda improved on her Olympic results,
earning a team gold medal and individual bronze (shared) on the vault. She
topped off the year by winning the AA at the 1970 Chunichi Cup. Interestingly,
according to the 30th Anniversary (1999) Program of the Chunichi Cup, the 1970
Chunichi Cup was actually held in conjunction with the Riga International
competition in Riga, the capital city of Latvia (Latvia was then a Soviet
republic). The sister affiliation that began that year ended the same
year.
At her second Olympics,
the 1972 Munich Games, Burda once again contribute to her team's overall gold
medal. Unfortunately, she just missed earning an individual medal (5th AA, 4th
V, and 5th FX). Her final competition appears to have been the 1973 World
University, in which she placed second behind Olga Korbut.
In 1975, Burda married Nikolai
Andrianov. That same year the couple's first son was born. They named him
Seryozha (Sergei). The later years the couple welcomed a second son, Dmitri. Andrianov
eventually coached his first born. Sergei did go on to compete internationally
(I remember hearing that he finished second in a meet in South America), though
nowhere to the extent of his father.
While Andrianov
coached male juniors at the Vladimir gymnastics school (including superstars
Vladimir Artemov, Alexei Nemov, and Dmitri Vassilenko),
Burda was responsible for coaching the girls. According to an article originally
published in 1987 in Sovietsky Sport and later republished in part
in the much recommended Women's
Gymnasics: A History (volume 1, 1966-1974) by Minot Simons II, one of
Burda's students included Sveta Mironova, who placed 4th AA at a major meet in
1985 in Kosice, Czechoslovakia.
After the collapse of
the Soviet Union, Burda and her family left Russia for Japan. There, Andrianov
coaches Naoya Tsukahara, who placed second overall at the recent 1999 World
Championships in Tianjin, China. Oddly, one of Andrianov's biggest rivals during
his competitive years was Naoya's father, the great Mitsiuo Tsukhara.
When Andrianov and Burda separated, Burda returned to Russia in 2000 with
Andrianov staying in Japan as Tsukahara's personal coach. Burda began judging
international meets, one commitment preventing her from making the trip to
Oklahoma City in 2001 for her induction into the International Gymnastics Hall
of Fame.
For more information
about Burda, please see the excellent Women's
Gymnasics: A History (volume 1, 1966-1974) by Minot Simons II.
Burda was born on April 11, 1953
. This page was created on January 21,
2000 and last updated June 2001.
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