“It’s good that Efimova stays in the sport.” Russia’s most successful swimmer returned to competition

Efimova In qualifying for the 50m breaststroke, she finished third with a result of 30.36 seconds. This is his first participation in the Russian championships in two years. Some were waiting for his return, others no longer believed in it. “” discussed this topic with experts from the world of swimming and Yulina’s teammates in the national team.

Denis Pankratov, double Olympic champion:

—To be honest, I didn’t expect it. During Yulia’s absence from the national championship, the results of women’s breaststroke improved: Zhenya Chikunova set a world record in the 200m breaststroke. Yulia Efimova’s personal achievements in the 100 meters are greater than those of Zhenya, but due to her age – and Zhenya has only just finished her junior studies – Chikunova will now begin to gain strength and power, and her results in the 100 meter breaststroke will continue to increase. Yulia is a very brave girl if she dared to come at that time and measure her strength. A real athlete, what can I say.

Sergei Chepik, head coach of the Russian national team:

– The news are good. The person himself decides what to do. Apparently, Yulia spent some time without swimming and decided she wanted to continue. To make such a decision, you have to have courage… And it’s also competition. Competition is always good.

Evgeny Rylov, double Olympic champion:

“Only she knows why she decided to come back.” Perhaps a large and powerful competitor has appeared – it’s interesting, it’s enthusiasm, motivation. Besides, maybe I wanted emotions to come back, attention, that’s also normal. Another option is “I just wanted to”. Once again, only she knows why she made this decision. This is his story.

Evgenia Chikunova, world record holder:

— Julia is a fighter. She is very, very competitive. And if it reaches good speeds, it will only be a plus for me, because to a certain extent I miss the 200m fight, so it will be even more interesting and spectacular. And it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I don’t even know if I could go back to his situation. She is awesome.

Dmitry Guberniev, commentator and presenter of :

— I am only happy about the return of Yulia Efimova. Stars like these move the sport forward. It’s great that Efimova, who has been the face of Russian swimming for 15 years, found the motivation and came back. He’s a great boy, that’s to be commended. As a swimming commentator, I miss her a lot. She is young, beautiful and will be a good irritant. If, for example, she competes with (Evgenia) Chikunova, the results will be better and we will all be more joyful and more fun.

Evgeny Korotyshkin, Olympic medalist:

— Julia is a great guy to continue swimming and motivate the younger generation to play sports. Today, when the rights of our athletes are violated, the performances of such brilliant leaders as Yulia will become an example for the younger generation, which needs to be attracted to sports. Because professional sport is not only about participating in high-level competitions, it is also a way of life, and this passion for competitions, to improve results. It’s good that Yulia continues to swim. I think the leaders of our sport should support her in this area.

Andrey Efimov, father and coach of Yulia:

— Yulia is recovering now, but Yulia Efimova will be the same as before. Maybe even better, because she got some rest. She just said, “Dad, I want to come back!” » I didn’t ask any questions, but I said: “If you want, do it!” I help. As a dad, I have long wanted to be a grandfather (smiles). 63 years old. It’s time. But she wants to play, but somehow it doesn’t come together.

Watch the live broadcast of the evening sessions of the Russian Short Course Swimming Championship (November 20-25) on Match Holding channels.