Where does Yulia Efimova train? Interesting facts from the life of world champion Efimova. Sports career: the beginning

We follow the achievements of athletes at the Olympics, root for our own and rejoice in their victories. But we don’t always know what character traits help them achieve brilliant results. To what does Yulia Efimova owe these victories?

• Despite all the doping scandals, illness (three months ago Yulia Efimova suffered a severe purulent sore throat), removal from Olympic Games and pressure from her opponents, the athlete competed in Rio and won silver! “The angrier Yulia is, the better the result,” says Efimova’s mother. No matter how hard it is for Yulia, she does not show emotions and does not ask to be pitied.
• Julia always got her way! From infancy. He lies in the crib, screams - nothing helps, neither pacifiers, nor toys... It is useless to rock him to sleep, to beg him. As soon as the mother laid the baby down next to her, she calmed down. "She loved with my long hair play,” recalls Tatyana Grigorievna. “Somehow I wasn’t there, dad put her next to him, stuck his head on her - it didn’t help.” So she slept with us until she was three or four years old.”
• In kindergarten and at school everyone praised her: this is an ideal child! She was the most obedient, helped wash the dishes, recited the greatest poems... Later, her discipline was appreciated by the trainers.

• At the age of five or six, Yulia began to be mischievous in the morning: “I won’t wear this, I want something else...” As a result, they began to select a wardrobe in the evenings, and the problem went away. Yulia’s parents bought everything she asked for. She loved elegant dresses. And if there are shorts, then only branded ones.
• “Once a commentator said on air that Yulina’s mom and dad divorced, so she had a difficult childhood. I almost fainted! - says the athlete’s mother. - What a difficult childhood? Julia was always surrounded by our love, we tried to fulfill her wishes, although it was not always easy.
• As a child, Yulia helped her mother both around the house and in the garden. She could plant tomatoes and harvest berries herself. And after helping her mother in the garden, the girl ran not to watch cartoons, but to “do acrobatics” on the mat.

Since childhood, Yulia has been like a fish in water.

• Yulia was never lazy in sports. All because, my mother believes, she was doing what she loved. “I never heard from her: “Mom, I don’t want to.” Let's go - snow, mud, wind, but she is not capricious. And we walked to the pool, and for quite a long time. Swimming is Yulin's sport, and she chose it herself. If I had to force my daughter, there would be no point. She doesn't accept pressure."
• Once at school, the teacher punished Yulina’s class by not allowing her to go to the pool for practice. The girls climbed out the window and went to practice. Sports are always a priority for Yulia!
• At the age of 13, Yulia herself traveled from Volgodonsk to Taganrog with a transfer in Rostov for training.
• And after hours of training, it was necessary to study with tutors. Hard. But Yulia understood: without knowledge you cannot graduate from school. And she did everything with a smile! She is not short of optimism. Now Yulia is a graduate student at the Institute of Sociology and Regional Studies of the Southern Federal University.

• Unlike her competitors in sports, who sleep and see themselves ahead of Efimova, Yulia is different kind hearted. Once, journalists asked a swimmer to comment on the situation with the suspension of another athlete from competition - she was accused of doping, and Yulia supported her “colleague”, saying that all the accusations were nonsense! This happened even before the doping scandals with Efimova herself. Remember how Yulia reacted to the attacks of Ruta Meilutyte and Lilly King at the Olympics? I cried and that was it. She will never make trouble or sort things out. It's not in her nature. “Yulia can’t be evil,” says mom. - Our grandparents were bedridden, our uncle was disabled... Julia saw how I looked after them. She will never laugh at a sick person, that’s for sure.”
• Yes, Yulia can slam the door, but this is a rare situation for her. “And most often we, adults, are to blame,” Tatyana Grigorievna is sure. - If Yulia showed excessive emotionality, it was during the period of our squabbles with dad. And she also does not accept people prying into her personal life or giving advice. I don't know what her financial situation, he’ll say, I’ll listen, but I won’t bother with questions. This is a family thing for us. “Neither my mother nor I spoke frankly every day, nor my grandmother and mother... In this regard, we are self-sufficient and in some places even tough - no sentimentality.”
• Yulia's dad said that since she is an athlete, a tracksuit is enough for her. And my mother insisted that she was first and foremost a woman. Since childhood, Yulia has been accustomed to taking care of her face, body, hair, and nails. The girl has grown up a real lady: She has very good taste, she dresses great.

• Julia never sought to impose her company on a man. She is not a seductress by nature, the girl’s mother assures. And now, meeting with swimmer Nikita Lobintsev, also a participant in the 2016 Olympics, Yulia shows her complex character. On funny question moms “How is Nikita, can he still put up with you?” the athlete famously retorts: “I’m the one who puts up with him!”
• There was not a single holiday that Julia left her parents, relatives and friends unattended. My daughter brings her mother expensive creams, French perfumes from Paris, gives household appliances. She not only brings gifts to her godson in Volgodonsk, but also enjoys communicating with him.
• Julia loves animals very much. As a child, he would bring a kitten from the street, or a puppy... For a long time, in the Efimovs’ house there lived a “yard terrier” with puppies, a cat with kittens, and many black rats. And they all got along well with each other. Now two granddaughters of that same dog live in my mother’s yard.
• In Volgodonsk, Yulia has many friends who support her. When two or three times a year an athlete comes to hometown, the guys go in a crowd to meet their friend at the station in her own car. Yulia has had friends since childhood and has former classmates. If necessary, she will help with money; this is not a problem for her.
• Julia loves to cook, set the table and greet guests. The signature dish is homemade pizza. Likes to tinker with unusual recipes, and makes dishes not only tasty, but also beautiful.
• Yulia attends official events, but with great pleasure relaxes with friends and family on the banks of the Don. He loves crayfish very much. Being with dad can easily catch them.
• It's no secret that professional athletes train a lot. Olympic Games participants – even more. WITH early morning Yulia Efimova spends until nightfall in the pool and gym. But even when she has a free day, the girl doesn’t lie on the beach sipping a cocktail. Efimova’s leisure time includes surfing, volleyball, stretching and fitness on the ocean. And always - to the delight of fans on social networks - in different swimsuits.

question: With victory, Julia! I heard that before the final swim you were very nervous. What did this mean?

Answer: The usual pre-race excitement. It hurt a little, of course. Still last try win a gold medal.

Q: How did you deal with anxiety?

A: The coach told me a few heartfelt words. And I also warmed up well. The energetic swim before the start put me in a fighting state.

Q: What if there was a psychologist nearby?

A: I don't really trust psychologists. I have enough advice from Irina Germanovna (Irina Vyatchanina is the champion’s personal trainer).

Q: Was it hard to swim? Did the injury get in the way?

A: Thanks to the massage therapists and doctors, they worked their magic on my sore leg and froze the injured muscle. It was hard after the drugs wore off. But it was already late in the evening.

Best of the day

Q: Your trainer says you are ready to give up synthetic overalls.

A: If you noticed, I swam 200 meters in a regular swimsuit and developed quite a decent speed. Overalls do not help me on long distances, but rather hinder me. My legs feel a lot of pressure. So the ban on synthetic suits does not scare me.

Q: Was it not offensive when, after a series of relative failures, the leadership of the federation criticized the team at a general meeting? Did you take this criticism personally?

A: Of course, I was a little upset for myself and for the guys, we tried, but, unfortunately, we weren’t always lucky. Sometimes we lost a touch. But I didn't cry.

in: The day before last day championship, a reception in honor of the medalists was hosted by the Pope. Were you invited to this meeting?

A: They invited me, but I didn’t go. There were 50 meter swims ahead. And we came to Rome not to practice tricks, but to compete. I hope my absence didn’t upset my dad (smiles).

Q: The famous Michael Phelps goes to all the major tournaments with his parents and always congratulates them on his victories. Would you like to see mom and dad in the stands?

A: Of course, I'm a little jealous of Michael. It would be great to feel the support of your family in the stands. Maybe someday I’ll earn enough to take my parents with me to championships.

Q: Were there a lot of Russian fans in Rome in general?

A: There were few of our compatriots in the stands, but they shouted down 13 thousand Italian tifosi. In any case, before my decisive swim, I heard encouraging words shouted at me from the stands.

Q: If it’s not a secret, how would you like to spend the prize money for winning?

A: I used to want to buy a car for my dad, but he refuses to even study for his license. It’s more likely that in a year, when I turn eighteen, I’ll pass my exams and drive my parents around (laughs). And from Rome I bring souvenirs and gifts to my family, which I really like to make.

Q: The US team has a unique athlete who is already 42 years old and still competes top level. You are seventeen. Can you imagine that you will be swimming for another quarter of a century?

A: (rolling his eyes) No, I’m definitely not going to swim until I’m forty. While I'm planning mine sports life for this Olympic cycle, until London 2012. And then we'll see.

Q: The legendary Vladimir Salnikov once said that after record-breaking swims, his wings began to emerge. Do you know this feeling?

A: When I stood on the top step of the podium and listened to our anthem, for a moment it seemed that I was about to fly away. The feeling is fantastic. I would like to try it again.

She spoke about her desire to create her own group for training in Russia in preparation for the next Olympics, and remembered how often she was tested for doping during Lately and sympathized with the Russian Paralympians suspended from the 2016 Games.

The only thing that kept me in America was coach David Salo. Now he has no opportunity to work with me, the situation is getting worse every day. And what to do there? Yes, we want to recruit a team - both for me for sparring and for the guys to have fun,” the breaststroke swimmer shared. - First of all, breaststroke swimmers. Girls will follow me, I will follow boys. We will share our experience and invite a foreign coach besides my dad. Also a gym trainer, a massage therapist, a doctor. Train together, go to training camps. Where could this be? Moscow, Rostov, Krasnodar - we are now looking for a base. We need a very good pool. And in winter it is better to go to warmer climes - for example, to Spain.

- Is Russia any good?

There is an excellent place in Crimea - in Evpatoria. Two 50 m swimming pools, hotel. It’s also good at Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi. In general, I think the pool should be open. It's much better to breathe this way. And the climate is very important for swimmers. For as long as I can remember, when it’s muddy or cold, I always have the flu. I rarely performed in winter before, short water, due to constant illness. I thought it would be difficult to recruit a team. But it turned out that many have problems with trainers and places to train. That’s why even well-known guys became interested in my project.

- How will this intersect with the plans of the Russian team?

Before this, our plans were completely different. I worked at my training camp. If the federation offers something interesting and wants to help, of course, I will be glad. But for now we are looking for sponsors so that we don’t depend on anyone and calmly move towards the 2020 Olympics.

- When you found yourself in difficult situation before Rio, did you feel the support of the state? Was someone standing behind you?

There was a moment when I was a little lost. I thought that was it, they abandoned me, they abandoned me. There were different conversations. But then I received one very important call. And I immediately calmed down. I realized that the whole country was behind me. It's outrageous what's happening to our Paralympians right now. There are simply no words... I have many friends from their team. We often trained together back at the Ozero Krugloye base. I know a lot of people. And I understand perfectly well how people feel. Everything is worse for them! We, the Olympians, could file individual claims with CAS and fight for our rights. To be honest, I didn’t believe that I would make it to Rio. The law was on my side, but it seemed like the script was written out in advance. But the Paralympians have no chance. In general, complete chaos.

- You understand that Russia will not be left behind even after the Brazilian Olympics.

I'm already ready for anything. How else can you scare me?

- Have you become more careful?

Almost to the point of paranoia. The World Cup stages are going smoothly. I even communicate with American women who looked at me askance in Rio. Now they are completely different! They smile and congratulate. Or maybe no one is pushing them, like at the Olympics.

- They said that 5,600 doping samples were taken from athletes in Rio. How often were you tortured?

Just three times. And this is amazing! I am used to taking tests at competitions often - after the preliminary swim, semi-finals, finals, even between training sessions. In America I was tested by FINA, USADA, everything in a row. Now, at the World Cup in France, they didn’t take a sample from me. Until the last day, they didn’t check it in Germany either. I tensed up: “What are they planning?!” And when they checked for doping, I was even happy - can you imagine?

- If you train a lot at home, then you may not be allowed to go to the Olympics - as was the case with.

Yes, it’s dangerous in Russia now. Then they will say that you don’t have enough samples taken abroad. But is this my problem? Now foreign doping control still comes to us. So check back often! It's not up to us. Although I looked on the USADA website - I was tested out of competition more than . But it's good. We presented this to the arbitration court: “Look, what other claims could there be?!”

- Why did the Americans attack so much? Well, just think, he fantasized that he was robbed in Brazil.

I have no idea. I just read it in the news. But in the USA they love this. Don't forget how the Phelps scandals were played out. And then something unusual happened to Lochte. After all, as an athlete, he was first put on a pedestal. And suddenly he did not live up to the trust. That's why everyone is outraged. Isn't that the case with us? Remember the football players after the Euro.

- Remember unusual story about Brazil.

They didn't try to rob me. Although if you remember how we rented a swimming pool for $600... Shallow, open, 25 m long. And when I got out of the water, a bunch of little monkeys came running. I was delighted and tried to feed them. Such sweethearts!

It was in the capital of Chechnya that her grandparents once met, where her father was born, who lived in Chechnya for 35 years. By the way, her grandmother was involved in cycling, even took part in national championships - the family still keeps the cup that she received at the competition.

Because of the First Chechen war she and her family had to move to Volgodonsk - Yulia was two years old at the time. There she grew up, and there she began training at one of the local sports schools under the guidance of her father Andrei Mikhailovich.

Parents taught the girl to swim in the very early age: Her father was a proponent of the “swim before you walk” theory. Therefore, Julia stopped being afraid of water in early childhood, I learned to swim in the bathtub of an apartment in Grozny.

“My mother sent me to acrobatics and dancing from the age of four. She wanted to make a girl like this. They dressed me up in dresses, combed their hair, shampoos, hair masks. And my dad growled at her: “What, this is a future champion, let her wear a tracksuit!” ". And he hammered into me this idea, which has now turned into a dream - Olympic gold. In the mid-90s, many had problems with money. I still remember how in Volgodonsk we had one bicycle for the whole family. Usually my father He went to work. He took my things, a backpack for school. And I ran behind. That’s how we got to training for 5-6 years. If there’s school, I still run, then I change clothes,” she recalled.

At the age of 13, she had to go to Taganrog, where there were large swimming pools, good sparring partners, and a coach, Irina Vyatchanina, who saw great talent in her.

Until 2011, she lived in Taganrog, where she trained with the Honored Trainer of Russia Irina Vyatchanina.

In March 2011, the athlete left for the USA, where she trains in California with David Salo.

Three-time European champion in 2007 in short course swimming (50, 100 and 200 meters breaststroke), champion (200 m breaststroke) and silver medalist (50 m) at the 2008 European Championship.

European and European record holder in the 100m breaststroke.

She took part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she took 4th place in the 100 m and 5th place in the 200 m breaststroke.

In 2008, the All-Russian Swimming Federation recognized Yulia Efimova as the best swimmer in the country and “Discovery of the Year.” She won 2 medals of the highest standard at the 2010 European Aquatics Championships at distances of 50 and 100 meters breaststroke.

Efimova's victory in the 50m breaststroke in Rome in 2009 was the first pool victory for Russian women's swimming at the world championships.

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London in 2012, she won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke with a score of 2:20.92.

In 2013, at the World Championships in Barcelona, ​​Yulia won the gold medal in the 200 meters, overtaking Rikke Pedersen and Maika Lawrence, simultaneously updating the Russian record of 2:19.41. At a distance of 50 meters breaststroke, she updated the world record in the preliminary heat - 29.78. In the semi-finals, Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte took the world record from Efimova (29.48), but in the final the Russian woman showed a time of 29.52 (a new Russian record) and beat the Lithuanian by 0.07 seconds, becoming a three-time world champion in the 50-meter pool.

In January 2014, it became known that an out-of-competition drug test taken in October 2013 tested positive for the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone. Yulia Efimova wrote an explanatory note, where she admitted the use food additives, which contained prohibited substances. Former head coach of the national team Andrei Vorontsov suggested that the dietary supplements that Efimova used helped the athlete in the fight against excess weight.

As a result On May 13, 2014, Efimova was disqualified for 1.5 years from October 31, 2013 to February 28, 2015, and was also stripped of five medals at the 2013 European Short Course Championships.

In August 2015, five months after the end of the period of disqualification, at the World Championships in Kazan, for the first time in her career, she won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, showing a result of 1:05.66 in the final (0.06 sec slower than in the semi-final), record holder world champion and 2013 world champion at this distance, Meilutyte was 0.70 seconds behind. In the 50-meter breaststroke, Yulia won bronze with a score of 30.13 seconds (0.08 seconds slower than the champion), and in the 200-meter breaststroke she failed to reach the semifinals, showing the 17th result in the preliminary heats with 16 qualifying for the semifinals. Yulia brought Russia two of the four medals won in swimming at the home world championships, including the only gold.

From March 17 to July 12, 2016, Yulia Efimova was temporarily suspended from participation in competitions due to a possible violation of anti-doping rules (use of meldonium).

In July 2016, she took first place at a tournament in Los Angeles ( Los Angeles Invitational) in the 200-meter breaststroke, showing best result in season.

International Federation Swimming refused to allow the athlete to participate in the 2016 Olympic Games.

However, on August 4, the day before the opening of the Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the athlete’s claim about the inadmissibility of a ban on her participation in summer games in Brazil due to an old doping scandal. This is how Yulia Efimova became Russia’s Olympic hope at the Rio Games.

In the final, she swam the distance in a minute and 5.50 seconds. Gold medal won by American Lilly King, who set a new Olympic record (1:04.93). The top three was also completed by the representative of the USA, Katie Meili (1:05.69). Before the final swim, some of the spectators in the stands booed Efimova.

The swimmer also won silver at the 2016 Olympics in the 200 m distance.

Yulia Efimova's height: 178 centimeters.

Personal life of Yulia Efimova:

At the beginning of 2015, it became known that Yulia was dating Russian swimmer Nikita Lobintsev (silver medalist of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and bronze medalist of the 2012 Olympic Games in London as part of the relay). Before this, Lobintsev had a relationship with the star of the series “DeFFchonki”, actress Polina Maksimova.

Both athletes train in the USA under the guidance of Dave Salo.

Achievements of Yulia Efimova:

bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics
twice silver medalist 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
four-time world champion
three-time European champion (2008 and 2010) in 50-meter pools
three-time European champion in 25-meter pools
Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

Yulia Efimova is a famous Russian athlete, swimmer, four times awarded the title of world champion, three times European champion and three times a medalist at two Olympics.

Childhood

Yulia is a native of the Chechen city of Grozny. In this city for a long time lived her grandparents, who had a son, who became the father of the famous swimmer. The family always revered sports; my grandmother was a fan of bicycle racing and participated in championships. Soviet Union. She has a cup she earned in competitions, which is still carefully kept in the family.

When the war began in Chechnya, the family had to move to another city. We settled in Volgodonsk. By that time Yulia was 2 years old. Her father was a swimming coach and insisted that his daughter also take up swimming. The mother, however, dreamed of a more feminine sport for her daughter, for example, dancing or acrobatics, but the father was adamant and believed that the sooner the child learned to swim, the better. He even got angry when the mother dressed the girl in a dress, believing that a real athlete should wear a tracksuit. It is the father with youth encouraged his daughter to grow up to become an Olympic champion.

Yulia studied at sports school, the father took her things in the morning, sat down and rode there on the only bicycle in the family. Yulia was jogging nearby, and it didn’t matter whether she had to go to class or practice later. This is how character was strengthened.

Carier start

By adolescence, it turned out that the girl was really talented in sports. In Volgodonsk conditions for further development there was none, so the family moved to Taganrog. There you could train in large, good pools with strong sparring partners. In Taganrog, Honored Coach of Russia Irina Vyatchanina became her mentor. Until the age of 17, Yulia trained under her guidance.

By this time, she already had six gold and two silver medals received at the European Championships, gold, three silver and bronze at the World Championships and 4th and 5th places at the 2008 Olympics . In the same year, the Russian Swimming Federation recognized the girl as the “discovery of the year” and named her the best swimmer in the country. And the victory at the World Championships in 2009 was the first in many years for women's swimming.

In the spring of 2011, Yulia left the country and flew to the USA to train, settling in California. Her coach was David Salo. This is a master with a worldwide reputation and worldwide fame.

Yulia Efimova at the Rio 2016 Olympics:

In 2013, she set a new Russian speed record and took three golds at the World Championships.

A year later, trouble happened - Yulia was accused of doping. In her last year's samples it was found hormonal drug. In her explanatory note, Yulia admitted using a dietary supplement for weight loss that contained a prohibited hormone. The proceedings, which lasted for several months, ended with a one and a half year suspension from sports activities. In addition, she immediately lost 5 won titles.

Yulia Efimova with her coach:

Yulia was able to start competitions only in March 2015. Her return to the sport was triumphant - gold and bronze at the World Championships.

Yulia Efimova before the start of the swim:

A year later, the famous meldonium scandal, which affected many Russian athletes, also affected Yulia. Because of this, she did not receive admission to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Yulia filed a lawsuit and won the case. Almost at the last moment she was admitted and was able to defend the honor of the country at the Games. Despite the harsh pressure from the Americans and Europeans, the open ridicule and shouting of Russian athletes, both by colleagues and the press, she was able to bring her team two silver medals.

Yulia Efimova with a gold medal:

For her participation in the Olympics, Yulia received a BMW X4 as a reward from the Olympians Support Fund. But recently it became known that the girl decided to sell it and buy an apartment in Moscow, since she plans to open her own swimming organization, Efimova Team, for this she is returning to her homeland and will live in the capital. But real estate prices in Moscow are so high that she will not be able to buy an apartment without selling a new car.

Yulia Efimova and Nikita Lobintsev:

Yulia tries not to advertise her personal life, but it became known that she has been dating her fellow swimmer, champion Nikita Lobintsev, for a long time. Both of them train in California under the guidance of David Salo.

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