Burkart missed the opportunity to run at the 1988 Seoul Olympics due to an injury, but rebounded with a personal best of 10.39 seconds in 1989. That same year he won the 100 m "B" final section at the 1989 European Cup. He represented Switzerland at the 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Athletics Championships and knocked a further hundredth off his 100 m best that year. He failed to make it out of the 60 m heats at the 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships but had the best outdoor season of his career, setting a 100 m best and Swiss national record of 10.32 seconds as well as a 200 metres best of 20.76 seconds. This earned him his Olympic debut at the age of 34 and he was a quarter-finalist in both the sprints. He qualified for the 1993 World Championships in Athletics the following year, but did not start due to injury.