Rhythmic gymnastAzerbaijanUkraineMedalist

Marina Durunda

Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast Marina Durunda was a three-time national champion, Olympian, and medalist at major international events.

1. Early Life and Background

Marina Durunda's journey into rhythmic gymnastics began at a very young age, leading her through different countries before she found her international representation with Azerbaijan.

1.1. Birthplace and Early Training

Marina Durunda was born on June 12, 1997, in Sevastopol, Ukraine. She commenced her rhythmic gymnastics training in her hometown at the age of four in 2001.

1.2. Move to Cyprus

In 2003, at the age of six, Durunda and her family relocated to Cyprus. For seven years, until 2012, she dominated the Cypriot rhythmic gymnastics scene, consistently winning all national competitions and holding the title of national champion.

1.3. Transition to Azerbaijan

Despite her success in Cyprus, Durunda was unable to obtain Cypriot citizenship, which was necessary for international representation. Consequently, she accepted an invitation from the Azeri National Gymnastics Team Federation to compete for Azerbaijan, marking a pivotal transition in her career.

2. Career

Marina Durunda's career in rhythmic gymnastics spanned from her junior years to a decorated senior career, marked by numerous international competitions and significant achievements before her eventual retirement.

2.1. Junior Career

As a junior gymnast, Durunda made her mark on the international stage. She competed with the Azeri team at the 2012 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships, where she successfully qualified for the ball final, finishing in seventh place. Later that year, she participated in the 2012 Aeon Cup in Japan, securing a third-place finish in the all-around event for juniors.

2.2. Senior Career

Durunda transitioned to her senior career in 2013, quickly establishing herself as a leading figure in Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnastics.

2.2.1. 2013 Season

Durunda made her senior debut at the 2013 Miss Valentine Cup in Tartu, Estonia, where she earned a bronze medal in the all-around competition, placing behind Ukrainian champion Ganna Rizatdinova and silver medalist Melitina Staniouta. She also secured bronze medals in the ball, clubs, and ribbon finals at this event. Her success continued at the 2013 Baltic Hoop, where she won the gold medal in the all-around.

At the 2013 Pesaro World Cup, Durunda qualified for all four event finals, notably finishing fifth in the ribbon final. She then placed sixth in the all-around at the 2013 Sofia World Cup, again qualifying for all four event finals. Her consistent performance saw her finish sixth in the all-around at the 2013 Minsk World Cup.

Durunda competed at her first Senior European Championships at the 2013 European Championships in Vienna, Austria. Representing Azerbaijan alongside teammate Lala Yusifova, they finished fourth in the team event. Individually, she qualified for three apparatus finals, securing fifth place in the ball, hoop, and ribbon categories. She claimed her first senior national title at the 2013 Azerbaijan National Championships, winning the all-around gold. At the 2013 World Cup Final in St. Petersburg, Russia, she finished sixth in the all-around and once again qualified for all four event finals. Durunda then participated in the 2013 World Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she qualified for and finished fifth in the ribbon final, and placed sixteenth in the all-around final, behind Belarusian Katsiaryna Halkina. In October, she competed at the 2013 Grand Prix Brno, finishing sixth in the all-around and qualifying for four event finals. From October 25-27, Durunda competed at the World Club Championship, the 2013 Aeon Cup in Tokyo, Japan, representing team Neftchi (with teammate Lala Yusifova), where they finished fifth in the team event, and Durunda herself finished sixth in the all-around finals, again behind Katsiaryna Halkina.

2.2.2. 2014 Season

The 2014 season began with Durunda winning the all-around gold medal at the 2014 Miss Valentine Cup. However, she later withdrew from the 2014 Moscow Grand Prix qualifications due to an injury. She returned to competition at the first World Cup event of the season, the 2014 Debrecen World Cup, where she finished sixth in the all-around and won a gold medal in the hoop event. She then placed fifth in the all-around at the 2014 Stuttgart World Cup, qualifying for all four event finals.

Durunda competed at the 2014 Holon Grand Prix, finishing eighth in the all-around and qualifying for two event finals. At the 2014 Lisboa World Cup, she finished fourth in the all-around and earned a bronze medal in the ball final. Her next event was the 2014 Pesaro World Cup, where she finished sixth in the all-around and qualified for all four event finals. Durunda secured her second National all-around title at the 2014 Azerbaijan Championships held in Baku.

From May 22-24, Durunda competed at the 2014 Tashkent World Cup, finishing sixth in the all-around behind Melitina Staniouta. She qualified for all four event finals and won bronze medals in both ribbon and clubs (tied with Elizaveta Nazarenkova). She then competed at the 2014 Minsk World Cup, finishing seventh in the all-around, qualifying for three event finals, and winning a bronze medal in hoop. From June 10-15, Durunda participated in the 2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships, finishing sixth in the all-around behind Margarita Mamun.

From August 8-10, Durunda competed at the 2014 Sofia World Cup, finishing tenth in the all-around and seventh in the ball finals. From September 22-28, Durunda, along with teammates Nilufar Niftaliyeva and Gulsum Shafizada, competed at the 2014 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, where Team Azerbaijan finished fifth. Individually, she qualified for three event finals, placing sixth in hoop, seventh in ball, and fifth in clubs, and finished sixth in the all-around finals, ahead of Melitina Staniouta. From October 17-19, Durunda traveled to Tokyo for the 2014 Aeon Cup, representing team Ocaq club (with teammates Gulsum Shafizada and junior Zhala Piriyeva), where they finished fifth in the team event, and Durunda finished eighth in the all-around finals.

2.2.3. 2015 Season

The 2015 season began with Durunda competing at the 2015 Valentine Cup, where she won silver medals in the all-around, ribbon, and hoop, placed third in clubs, and fourth in ball. From March 13-15, Durunda finished fourth in the all-around at the Trophy de Barcelona and secured a bronze medal in the clubs final. On March 21-22, Durunda competed at the 2015 Thiais Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the all-around behind Neta Rivkin. She qualified for all four event finals, earning a gold medal in clubs (tied with Ganna Rizatdinova) and two silver medals in hoop and ribbon.

From March 27-29, Durunda competed at the 2015 Lisboa World Cup, finishing fifth in the all-around. In the event finals, she took two bronze medals in ball and ribbon, and placed fourth in hoop and clubs. Durunda then competed at the 2015 Bucharest World Cup, finishing fifth in the all-around behind Korean gymnast Son Yeon-Jae. She qualified for event finals, securing a bronze in ribbon and placing fourth in hoop, ball, and clubs. From April 10-12, Durunda placed sixth in the all-around at the 2015 Pesaro World Cup and qualified for all four apparatus finals.

Durunda then competed at the 2015 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships, where Team Azerbaijan finished fifth. Individually, she qualified for two event finals, winning a bronze medal in ribbon and placing fifth in clubs. Durunda finished eighth in the all-around at the 2015 Grand Prix Berlin and qualified for two event finals. From June 15-21, Durunda competed at the inaugural 2015 European Games in Baku, where she finished sixth in the all-around. She qualified for three apparatus finals: winning the silver medal in ribbon, finishing fifth in hoop, and sixth in ball.

In August, Durunda won the all-around silver medal at the 2015 Baltic Cup, placing behind Israeli gymnast Victoria Veinberg Filanovsky. Durunda then competed at the 2015 Budapest World Cup, finishing seventh in the all-around and qualifying for three apparatus finals. In her next competition at the 2015 Sofia World Cup, Durunda finished eighth in the all-around behind Bulgarian Neviana Vladinova. She qualified for two apparatus finals, finishing sixth in hoop and clubs. From September 9-13, Durunda competed at the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart. She qualified for all four apparatus finals, finishing seventh in Ball (17.600 points), sixth in Hoop (17.916 points), Clubs (17.833 points), and Ribbon (17.800 points). In the all-around finals, Durunda finished sixth with a total of 71.399 points. From October 2-4, Durunda, along with teammates Ayshan Bayramova and junior Zhala Piriyeva, represented Team Ocaq Sports Club at the 2015 Aeon Cup in Tokyo, Japan. Durunda finished tenth in the all-around finals behind Viktoria Mazur, and Team Azerbaijan finished fifth in the overall standings.

2.2.4. 2016 Season

Durunda performing with ball at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda performing with ball at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda at the 2016 Summer Olympics

In 2016, recovering from a minor leg injury, Durunda first competed at the 30th Thiais Grand Prix event in Paris, where she finished tenth in the all-around and qualified for three event finals. From April 1-3, Durunda competed at the 2016 Pesaro World Cup, finishing eighteenth in the all-around. From May 6-8, Durunda won the all-around silver medal at the Corbeil-Essonnes International Tournament, also securing silver medals in all four apparatus finals. Durunda then finished second in the all-around at the Azeri National Championships, behind Zhala Piriyeva. Durunda finished tenth in the all-around at the 2016 Guadalajara World Cup and qualified for the ribbon finals.

From June 17-19, Durunda competed at the 2016 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships, where she finished in seventh place with a total of 72.116 points. From July 8-10, Durunda then finished seventh in the all-around at the 2016 Kazan World Cup with a total of 72.500 points, marking her highest score for the season and a new personal best. She also qualified for all apparatus finals, placing eighth in hoop and seventh in ball, clubs, and ribbon. From July 22-24, culminating the World Cup season at the 2016 Baku World Cup, Durunda finished tenth in the all-around with a total of 70.500 points. She qualified for two event finals, winning a bronze medal in ribbon and placing seventh in ball. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she reached the finals of the Women's rhythmic individual all-around where she finished in ninth place with a total of 69.748 points. From September 9-11, Durunda, along with teammates Zhala Piriyeva and junior Zohra Aghamirova, represented team Ocaq Sport club at the annual 2016 Aeon Cup in Tokyo, where they finished fourth in the team event, with Durunda finishing sixth in the all-around.

2.2.5. 2017 Season and Retirement

Durunda spent the early part of the 2017 season recovering from a hand injury. In May 2017, she returned to competition and achieved significant success at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games, which were hosted in her home country, Azerbaijan. She won five medals, including three golds. She then competed at the 2017 European Championships in Budapest, where she qualified for one apparatus final in hoop. On June 6, 2017, just days after competing in the European Championships, Durunda officially announced her retirement from rhythmic gymnastics due to the persistent hand injury she had sustained earlier in the year.

3. Major Achievements and Medals

Marina Durunda's career was marked by numerous significant achievements and medals at both national and international levels.

  • National Championships:**
    • 2013 Azerbaijan National Championships: Gold (All-Around)
    • 2014 Azerbaijan National Championships: Gold (All-Around)
    • 2015 Azerbaijan National Championships: Gold (All-Around)
    • 2016 Azerbaijan National Championships: Silver (All-Around)
  • European Games:**
    • 2015 Baku: Silver (Ribbon)
  • European Championships:**
    • 2015 Minsk: Bronze (Ribbon)
  • Islamic Solidarity Games:**
    • 2017 Baku: Gold (Team)
    • 2017 Baku: Gold (Hoop)
    • 2017 Baku: Gold (Ribbon)
    • 2017 Baku: Silver (Clubs)
    • 2017 Baku: Bronze (Ball)
  • World Cup Series:**
    • 2014 Debrecen World Cup: Gold (Hoop)
    • 2014 Tashkent World Cup: Bronze (Ribbon)
    • 2014 Tashkent World Cup: Bronze (Clubs)
    • 2014 Minsk World Cup: Bronze (Hoop)
    • 2016 Baku World Cup: Bronze (Ribbon)

4. Routine Music Information

Durunda performing her ball routine at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda performing her ball routine at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda performing with ribbon at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda performing with ribbon at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Marina Durunda's performances were often enhanced by her choice of music for her routines across various apparatus and years.

YearApparatusMusic title
2017Hoop"Nas Byut, My Letaem" by Alla Pugacheva
BallUnknown
Clubs"To Victory (Sacrifice For Sparta Remix)" by Tyler Bates
Ribbon"Go Down Moses" by Louis Armstrong
2016HoopLimanlar (Harbors-piano version) by Rashid Afandiyev Nasiboghlu
BallMadame Papillon by René Aubry
ClubsHey Pachico by Majas Band, Kseniya Shamarina, Ivonna Freidmane
RibbonNever Enough (Eurovision 2012 Caspian Mix) by Emin Agalarov
2015HoopKapris 24 by Bilen Yildirir
BallSen Yadima Dusende by Elza Ibrahimova
ClubsDance of Leaves by Fariborz Lachini
RibbonGaytaghi by Imamyar Hasanov (medley/special arrangement)
2014HoopKapris 24 by Bilen Yildirir
BallMoonlight Sonata by Tom Barabas
ClubsDance of Leaves by Fariborz Lachini
RibbonCarmino by Lili Ivanova
2013HoopLuna Caliente by Prandi Sound Tango Orch
BallMama music from Был Месяц Май by Paul Mauriat
ClubsUnknown
RibbonI Will Never Forget You (Я тебя никогда не забуду) by Dmitriy Malikov
Durunda leaping during her clubs routine at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Durunda leaping during her clubs routine at the 2016 Summer Olympics

5. Personal Life

Marina Durunda was born in Sevastopol, Ukraine, and later resided in Baku, Azerbaijan. She is proficient in multiple languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, and English. Durunda stands at a height of 67 in (170 cm).

6. Legacy and Impact

Marina Durunda's career significantly elevated the profile of rhythmic gymnastics in Azerbaijan. As a three-time national champion and a consistent medalist at major international competitions, she became a leader and an inspiration within the Azerbaijani gymnastics community. Her participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics further solidified her status as a top athlete representing her adopted nation. Despite her retirement due to injury, her achievements, particularly her European Games silver and multiple Islamic Solidarity Games golds, left a lasting impact on the sport in Azerbaijan.