Sylvia Burka (Latvian: Silvija Burka; born May 4, 1954, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a former ice speed skater and track cyclist from Canada of Latvian descent.[1] She represented Canada at three consecutive Winter Olympics, starting in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan.[1] She was the first person in history to win a World Championship in both Allround and Sprint disciplines (1976 and 1977). She never won an Olympic medal, with her best Olympic result being the fourth place in 1000 m in 1976.[2]
 Sylvia Burka in 1977 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sylvia Burka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 4, 1954 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speedskating and track cycling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In 1975, she began competing in track cycling. In 1978, she won the Canadian sprint cycling championship. Over her career, she won 12 national sprint titles as well as victories in the 100m, pursuit, time trial, and road race events. She set a women's indoor world cycling record in 1982, with her time of 1:14.976 in the 1000-metre time trial event.[2]
In 1977, she was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.[2] In 1983 she was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
She was married to Jocelyn Lovell, a multiple national National and Commonwealth champion cyclist.[3] While on a training bike ride, he was involved in a life-changing collision that made him a quadriplegic.[4] He encouraged Burka to leave him and get on with her life. They separated in 1986 and later divorced.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Zariņš, Viesturs (2 February 2010). "Latvia readies for Winter Olympics; record contingent heads to Canada". Latvians Online. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hall of Famer Sylvia Burka". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Calgary. 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ * Sokol, Al (6 August 1983). "Hit by a truck premier cyclist fighting for his life". The Saturday Star. Toronto. pp. D1, D3.
- ^ Ormsby, Mary (24 August 2007). "Wheels are still turning for Lovell". Toronto Star. p. S4. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Klane, Lynn (19 October 1999). "Jocelyn Lovell: Rebel biker". CBC Archives. Toronto. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
External links
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