Absolute Champion

1976 USSR Calendar of Sport

Ludmila Turischeva has won all possible senior gymnastics titles. She's the absolute champion of the Olympic Games, the world, Europe, and the country. Turischeva's talent is unique. She created her own gymnastics style and is an incredible image of a perfect girl.

After Lyuda went to the gymnastics hall for the first time, her muscles ached the next day. Lyuda decided that gymnastics wasn't for her. But once the pain was gone, she returned to the gym. This time forever.

She had excellent flexibility, strength, and musicality. Her coach Vladislav Rastorotsky created fantastic combinations for his student, some of the best combinations in the world. The coach was in a hurry and wanted to see Turischeva among the best.

In December 1967, Ludmila competed in her first adult competiton and won the USSR Cup. it was a sensation. Lyuda went to the Olympic Games in Mexico City and there...there she finished in 24th place - she fell from the beam. As she wept, she thought about the team's score. But the women's team still won the gold medal.

At the USSR Championships, Lyuda lost twice to Lyubov Burda. Turischeva had very difficult exercises. Rastorotsky said that he had simplified a combination. And because Lyuda lacked the proper difficulty she lost. The coach stood by himself...

At the 1970 world championships, Lyudmila Turischeva defeated all her rivals with incredibly complex combinations. The coach and student achieved the highest peak in gymnastics!

Then, they moved from Grozny to Rostov-on-Don. Lyuda began studying at the Pedagogical Institute.

At the 1972 Olympic Games, L. Turischeva was awarded the medal of absolute champion.

At the 1974 world championships, held in the Bulgarian city of Varna, she again won a gold medal and became world champion. In the individual events, Lyuda won beam and floor exercise.

The world's best gymnast, and member of the Komsomol Central Committee, Lyudmila Turischeva trains hard and dreams of finishing competitive career so she can help her coach train new champions.