Triple Olympic medalist, six-time world swimming champion Yulia Efimova told that she is ready to qualify for the Short Course World Championships in Budapest.
Efimova clocked her second time (30.18 seconds) in the 50m breaststroke semi-final at the Russian Short Course Swimming Championships, which take place in St. Petersburg from November 21-26. The tournament could have qualifying status for December’s World Championships in Budapest.
— Will it be easier for you to arrive in Budapest because you already have neutral status?
— Not just a status, but a Schengen visa. This is very valuable in our time! I am a soldier ready to work.
Naturally, I didn’t expect that there would be a selection for the world here. We were told about this recently. I didn’t participate in the World Cup. At first I was upset, but then I pulled myself together. Then I thought for a long time whether it was worth attending these competitions. After all, there was no preparation. Plus, I came up with travel ideas again.
— How did you get to Paris?
– Well, I have a visa, I have to use it. I have just been invited to Cyprus for master classes. And on the way I stopped in Paris. Why not? I can afford it. And that’s why it happened by chance.
“But it’s good when the world opens up again?” Cyprus, Paris, Budapest…
– Yes of course! It’s just another life! And it is clear to me that inspiration is starting to fill me from within again. And the first days when I arrived in St. Petersburg, the weather was cloudy, the mood was poor. And now I feel that the competition has started – and immediately my mood is up!
— That’s why you overtook Evgenia Chikunova in the semi-final.
– Yes, it’s just fifty dollars. You jump, swim and that’s it. And it floats quite easily. But it’s a lottery, and the weather is so-so. Now, if you swim outside 30 seconds, you can already think,” Efimova told .
Watch live broadcasts of the Russian Short Course Swimming Championship on and the holding’s channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
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Source : MatchTV
I’m John White and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. My specialty is covering sports news, which I’ve been doing for over 6 years now. During this time, I have worked as an author with Athletistic, a popular online news website focusing on sports topics.
