Ludmilla Tourischeva

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Women's Artistic Gymnastics
Olympic medalist
Ludmilla Tourischeva
Medal record
Gold	1968 Mexico City	Team competition
Gold	1972 Munich	Team competition
Gold	1972 Munich	All-around
Gold	1976 Montreal	Team competition
Silver	1972 Munich	Floor exercise
Silver	1976 Montreal	Vault
Silver	1976 Montreal	Floor exercise
Bronze	1972 Munich	Vault
Bronze	1976 Montreal	Individual all-round
World Championships
Gold	1970 Ljubljana	All-around
Gold	1970 Ljubljana	Team competition
Gold	1970 Ljubljana	Floor exercise
Gold	1974 Varna	All-around
Gold	1974 Varna	Team competition
Gold	1974 Varna	Floor exercise
Gold	1974 Varna	Balance beam
Silver	1970 Ljubljana	Uneven bars
Silver	1974 Varna	Vault
Bronze	1970 Ljubljana	Vault
Bronze	1974 Varna	Uneven bars
European Championships
Gold	1971 Minsk	All-around
Gold	1971 Minsk	Vault
Gold	1971 Minsk	Floor exercise
Gold	1973 London	All-around
Gold	1973 London	Vault
Gold	1973 London	Uneven bars
Gold	1973 London	Balance beam
Gold	1973 London	Floor exercise
Silver	1971 Minsk	Uneven bars
Silver	1971 Minsk	Balance beam
Bronze	1969 Landskrona	All-around
Bronze	1969 Landskrona	Uneven bars
Bronze	1969 Landskrona	Floor exercise
Bronze	1975 Skien	Floor exercise

Ludmilla Ivanovna Tourischeva (Russian: Людми́ла Ива́новна Тури́щева alternate spellings: Ludmilla Turischeva; Ludmilla Tourischcheva; Ljudmila Ivanovna Turichtchieva;, born July 10, 1952 in Grozny) is a former Russian gymnast and a nine-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union.

Tourischeva began gymnastics in 1965 and began competing for the Soviet team as early as in 1967. Coached by Vladislav Rastorotsky (who later trained Natalia Shaposhnikova and Natalia Yurchenko), she represented the USSR at the 1968 Summer Olympics just after her sixteenth birthday, sharing the gold medal with the USSR team and placing 24th in the all-around.

Two years later Tourischeva would become the leader of the Soviet team. From 1970 to 1974 she dominated almost every major international competition, winning the World Championships all-around gold in 1970 and 1974, the European Championships in 1971 and 1973 and the World Cup in 1975. She was considered to embody the classic Soviet style: grace, elegance, impeccable form and strong technique.

At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Tourischeva was a medal favorite, but found herself overshadowed by the sudden popularity of her telegenic compatriot Olga Korbut. After Korbut fell from the uneven bars, however, Tourischeva won the all-around gold medal. She was less successful in the event finals, qualifying for all four, but winning only a silver and a bronze. Tourischeva was one of the first female gymnasts to use two separate pieces of music for her floor exercise routines at an international competition. For the team competition there was March from movie Circus by Isaak Dunaevsky, while for the all around - the music to the film Die Frau meiner Träume by Franz Grothe.

At the 1975 European Championships, Tourischeva lost the all-around competition, placing third to thirteen-year old Nadia Comaneci, who also won the vault, bars, and beam apparatus finals. Tourischeva's teammate, Nelli Kim, placed second and won the floor exercise competition. Nevertheless, Tourischeva rebounded later that year to sweep the World Cup.

After struggling with a back injury, Tourischeva competed in her third Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976, winning her third team gold with the Soviet squad. In the all-around she finished third behind Romania's Nadia Comaneci and her teammate Nellie Kim. Although Tourischeva lost to Kim on both vault and floor exercise in the event finals, she overcame Comaneci on them and won silver medals, bringing her total Olympic medal count to four gold, three silver and two bronze.

Uneven bars are collapsing. Tourischeva salutes the judges

In 1980, British journalist David Hunn wrote of Tourischeva, "(she) never had the cheek of some of her rivals, but for serenity she was supreme."^[1] Indeed, she was renowned for her cool head in competition. In one of Tourischeva's most well-known performances, the 1975 World Cup at Wembley Stadium in London, all people were amazed by the loud sound of the broken metal hook, which held support cables. The uneven bars literally fell apart and crashed to the ground at the end of her routine, right as she completed her dismount. Tourischeva saluted the judges, and calmly walked off the podium without even turning around to look at the remains of the apparatus. She went on to win the all-around and every single event final gold. After many years she said, that at that moment she remembered only one thing - she must complete her routine and "stick it".^[2] Her trainer Vladislav Rastorotsky said about her: "Ljudmila would fight to death in any situation".^[3]

Tourischeva was also known for her gracious demeanor. At the 1976 Olympics, she walked around the podium to personally congratulate champion Nadia Comaneci and shake her hand before accepting her own medal.^[4]

In 1977, she married the sprinter Valeri Borzov, a two-time Olympic champion in 1972. She was elected to the Women's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 1981^[5] Tourischeva has remained involved in gymnastics as a coach, an international judge and an official with the Ukrainian gymnastics federation. One of her proteges was Lilia Podkopayeva, the 1996 Olympic all-around gold medalist.

Tourischeva has received many honors for her contributions to gymnastics, including the Women In Sport trophy by the International Olympic Committee. In 1998 she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.^[6]

[edit] Achievements (non-Olympic)

Year	Event	AA	Team	VT	UB	BB	FX
1967	USSR Cup	1st
1968	USSR Cup	3rd
1969	European Championships	3rd			3rd		3rd
	USSR Championships	3rd		2nd		2nd	2nd
	USSR Cup	1st
1970	World Championships	1st	1st	3rd	2nd		1st
	USSR Championships				1st		1st
	USSR Cup	3rd
1971	European Championships	1st		1st	2nd	2nd	1st
	USSR Championships			2nd	3rd		2nd
	USSR Cup	1st
1972	USSR Championships	1st		1st	1st
1972	USSR Cup	2nd
1973	European Championships	1st		1st	1st	1st	1st
	USSR Championships			1st	1st
	USSR Cup	1st
1974	World Championships	1st	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	1st
	USSR Championships	1st
	USSR Cup	1st
1975	World Cup	1st		1st	1st	1st	1st
	European Championships						3rd
	USSR Championships	3rd		1st
1976	USSR Cup	2nd

[edit] References

^ Hunn, David; (1980). The Complete Book of Gymnastics. London: Ward Lock Ltd. ISBN 99903-963-2-9.
^ "And the steel was broken" (July-September 1990). Olympic Panorama (3): 33-34. ISSN 0204-2177.
^ "National Property", Novaya sportivnaya gazeta, 2003-03-26.
^ Comăneci, Nadia (2003). Letters to a young gymnast. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01276-0.
^ "Within International Federations" (April 1981). Olympic Review (162): p. 253.
^ LUDMILLA TOURISCHEVA. International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved on May 12, 2007.

[edit] External links

Ludmilla Tourischeva at the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique profile page
Article from "Soviet Life"
Full list of competitive results

Olympic champions in artistic gymnastics – women's team competition

1928: Netherlands • 1936: Germany • 1948: Czechoslovakia • 1952: Soviet Union • 1956: Soviet Union • 1960: Soviet Union • 1964: Soviet Union • 1968: Soviet Union • 1972: Soviet Union • 1976: Soviet Union • 1980: Soviet Union • 1984: Romania • 1988: Soviet Union • 1992: Unified Team • 1996: United States • 2000: Romania • 2004: Romania

v • d • e Olympic champions in artistic gymnastics – women's all-around

1952: Maria Gorokhovskaya 1956: Larissa Latynina 1960: Larissa Latynina 1964: Věra Čáslavská 1968: Věra Čáslavská 1972: Ludmilla Tourischeva 1976: Nadia Comăneci 1980: Yelena Davydova 1984: Mary Lou Retton 1988: Yelena Shushunova 1992: Tatiana Gutsu 1996: Lilia Podkopayeva 2000: Simona Amânar 2004: Carly Patterson