“The world has gone crazy, but that’s no reason to give up on your goals. Otherwise, you won’t survive. Efimova about the Olympics and motivation

Triple Olympic medalist Yulia Efimova return to the departures on a long course. She already has two bronze medals at the Russian Championships – and this after a long break from competition in the 50-meter pool.

We talked with Yulia about how not to go crazy in this world, why she is ready to swim in the Masters and what she thinks about the phrase “Efimova has nothing to lose.”

– Yesterday after 100 m it sounded: “The main thing is that I swam.” Haven’t your feelings improved lately?

– A bit better. I come back from the pool at 22-23 and I start to eat (laughs). The formatting process is slow. But I improve my time, it makes me happy.

— Are you not used to such a departure schedule?

— Everything is not clear, yes. I also have a dog…I have to take him for a walk. We have already found a nanny. It’s hard enough coming to competitions with a dog. Dad is also forced to take a walk with Jasper.

— Did you watch the cup match between Spartak and Zenit?

– No. I don’t watch any news during competitions.

– “Sorry, Spartak, but I have the 100m breaststroke”?

– Something like that.

— In terms of the level of the final, are there any changes in the 100 meters?

– The same. There is Chikunova and everyone. Tanya Belonogoff is awesome, of course. But our time is limited.

“Everyone says that Efimova talks about the Olympics more freely than others, because she has nothing to lose. What do you say? Do you have something to lose?

“They probably mean that I’ve already been through a lot in my career, and if a barrage of hatred comes, as it does, from the media, from the people, from the fans, I will be able to deal with it. In terms of of negativity and similar emotions, I have already suffered enough. But the rest too… what to lose, I don’t understand?

— As they write in the comments, “lose your salary at the centralized service center”…

— I don’t have a rate in the TsSP. And judging by the statements of the Ministry of Sports, it is unlikely that the CSP will accept sanctions.

— Regarding the experience of negativity… But it is also very difficult for you, because you are an emotional person!

– Certainly. I understand that there will be a lot of negativity from people in my own country and from people in other countries. I saw what happened to an Israeli athlete. That roar from the stands during competitions… I looked at her and felt sorry for her. I experienced this myself. But at the time it was my personal responsibility, but now it happens to athletes from some countries. There’s a lot of negativity happening to them. It’s not clear to me. It is a sport ! And that should be separate from politics, but the reality is that sports and politics are closely linked.

— Ilya Shimanovich said that when he came to the World Cup, some asked him: “Why did you leave for so long?”

– Yes, I think that many live their own lives, and some do not even think about the situation, do not watch the news.

-Are you watching the news?

– Well… We go or we don’t go, what are the conditions? No more.

— But I appreciated the statement about the homeless team.

– “Homeless team, foreign agents”… I saw it, I read it. It was funny. How many years have we been competing under the Russian flag? But at present, we have become “homeless”.

“In this case, they will answer you: “Now the situation is different. »

— All the more reason to go to the Olympic Games: they are intended to unite people.

— There are not many comments from the swimming community in favor of those who want to go to the Games. Nastya Fesikova supported… From the media – Dmitry Guberniev.

– This situation surprises me. The Olympic Committee sets out its position on participation in the Games, then in the following message it congratulates the Olympic champions of past years. Olympic champions are eternal because it is a very special achievement. And if there is a chance to fight for it, how can you refuse so easily?! Yes, there will be a Friendship Games – it’s good that the athletes have the opportunity to perform. But it’s not the Olympics, that’s another story. Even the fact that there is no Olympic selection at the Russian Championship is now being felt. Everyone is depressed, it’s not clear why I’m training, there are no trips… Maybe I was just brought up differently, my father always instilled in me this special attitude towards the Olympic dream.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t strive for her.

— Completely consistent with the message about girl power.

“I am strong and life is hard.” For example, it is difficult to find a suitable companion who will not break under this force. Yes, I am like that. Being mentally strong has helped me accomplish a lot of things. But I don’t want to position myself only through this strength, through the feminist context.

— Does this power help you deal with negativity? Or does it just make things more difficult? For example, how do you respond to the negativity in the comments under posts from Hawaii?

– I even understand why this happens. Here I felt the spring that I hadn’t seen for a long time. I saw everything that comes out from under the snowdrifts when they melt… And then Anya Egorova posts photos of her training in Antibes. I was like, “I hate you.” Therefore, I understand some negativity. In general, I try not to read the news.

— It is also important not to read the comments.

— I have a blockage on certain words. And that helps. There aren’t really any bad, “dying” comments – such things existed. And I don’t have as much activity on my account as before.

— Regarding the sun… I watched an interview according to which some people have a direct psychosomatic dependence on it – it’s called SAD. I immediately remembered: this is Yulia Efimova!

– Exactly about me. Yesterday, when it was about a hundred meters, the weather was nice and I felt more or less well. I’m like a solar battery: I recharge in sunny weather. And even if it’s cold, it’s important that the sun shines, that’s enough for me.

— How do you prepare to reach the Olympic standard? Are you ready to challenge yourself?

“I haven’t even started getting ready yet.” There were two months of preparation for the short course, two months for the long course. I swam in a one-meter pool in Hawaii without a coach who just wrote workouts for me. I no longer need to look at myself, I do everything myself as much as possible, but the coaching factor on the side remains important… it’s important. I also sprained my leg in Hawaii, didn’t know how to swim breaststroke and could barely walk. Then I got sick and had a fever on my birthday. I just recovered and… sinusitis. I just started walking away. Many people noticed this and asked, “What’s wrong with you?” I’m usually so full of energy. Now I’m coming to my senses.

— Why isn’t it customary for us to take a break from competitions to overload? Adam Peaty has rebooted – and obviously reached almost the same level.

– I’m thinking about it too. Sometimes I even advise some: relax, take a break and relax. They answer me: “If I take a break, then I won’t come back. » Yes, it’s hard, it’s not easy, but then the emotional sensations are completely different. Besides, it’s very nice to hear them tell me: “Your feedback motivates me to start swimming again at 35.” ” It’s good. But you really have to rest at a certain point, and not think about losing your bet on the CSP… Swimming for money has never given good results. But no, sometimes that was the case (laughs).

— Are you ready to compete at the Masters after finishing your career?

— About 10 years ago, I would have said, “No, you can’t drag me there.” Now I say: definitely yes. I already know which competitions I would potentially like to participate in – in the United States, on Lake Tahoe. I went there to encourage my friends: they were doing a half-hour stage relay race. I loved this so much! The atmosphere is so cool, everyone is relaxed, everyone swims for themselves. The Russian girls and I, who have swum before, have already noticed this beginning. I’ll have to try it later!

— In other words, Yulia Efimova’s first advice is “don’t be afraid” and the second is “swim for yourself”.

– Of course, for me. For who else? If someone doesn’t understand this, then maybe they shouldn’t do it at all? If you don’t like it, you need to change something.

— When you started your career, sport left a feeling of celebration. Today, in the news, including sports news, there is only one feeling: “the world has gone crazy”. How do you feel about all this?

– Of course, the world has gone crazy. The last more or less normal year was 2019. But what is happening in the world is not a reason to give up on good things, on your goal. You never know when it will end, you have to live now, enjoy every second and love what you do. There is simply no other way to survive in this world you live in and don’t know if there will be a tomorrow.