Yulia Efimova, already in her twenty-four years, is a titled athlete, a condemned master of sports. The Russian swimmer began performing at international competitions in 2007. From then until now, she received only 4 bronze awards at 14 gold and 8 silver. Efimova (swimming for whom is her native element) won the European Championships many times, four times in the World Championships, she won the bronze and silver medals of the most prestigious sports competitions - the Olympic Games (in 2012 in London and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro).
In addition to awards in the sports arena, Julia was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Volgodonsk, which is very valuable to her. After the Olympics in Rio, the athlete was awarded the Order of Friendship for high sports achievements.
Training from a young age and first mentors
Julia was born in the family of coach Andrei Mikhailovich Efimov (swimming). The biography of the athlete has been going on since April 1992. The family lived in Grozny, but was later forced to leave the city because of the outbreak of the First Chechen War. Moving to Volgodonsk was marked for the beginning athlete by attending a sports school and training under the guidance of his father, who was of the opinion that the child should be taught to swim in the very period when he barely knows how to walk.
Later, as a teenager, having good prospects for achieving high sports awards, the girl moved to Taganrog and fell into the hands of the honored swimming coach of the Russian Federation - Irina Vyatchanina. Since the spring of 2011, Julia has been permanently living in the United States, where until recently she trained with the legendary mentor with a world-famous name - David Salo. In the summer of 2016, the Olympics ended. Efimov was not going to quit swimming, but decided to leave the famous coach.
International competitions and participation in the Olympic Games
The athlete at the age of 15 was awarded a serious award. Participating in the European tournament, Julia became the first at distances of 50, 100 and 200 meters in the style of breaststroke. At the same time, she set a record at 100 meters.
Victories in other competitions followed one after another, but the first Olympic Games for the athlete in 2008 (Beijing) did not bring medals - Efimova took 4th and 5th places at 100 and 200 meters breaststroke. But this did not stop Julia in the same year from being awarded the title of the best swimmer of Russia and winning the "Discovery of the Year" nomination. The second Olympic cycle was quite successful for the athlete - participation in the 2010 European Championship brought two golds at once - at the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke.
As part of the London Olympics in 2012, Efimova won the bronze at a two-hundred-meter distance breaststroke.
Doping scandal
In preparation for the Olympics in Rio (2016) in 2014, a scandal erupted around the name of Efimova. Her tests in 2013 in the out-of-competition period showed the presence of doping. An explanatory note from the athlete followed, in which she admitted to using dietary supplements. The head coach of the team suggested that the athlete took the drugs as dietary supplements in order to overcome excess weight. There were lengthy proceedings and the result was a disqualification from October 2013 to February 2015 (for a total of 18 months). Together with these measures, Efimov was deprived of the last five awards won at the European Championship.
After the ban ended, the athlete continued training, and in the summer of 2015 she won for the first time at the World Championships in the capital of Tatarstan. As part of the tournament, her highest medal was the only one for the entire team.
Disqualification before the Olympics and the lawsuit in the Sports Arbitration Court
After disqualification for the possible use of a prohibited drug, this time meldonium, followed by participation in an American tournament (Los Angeles), where Efimova also achieved a high result. Before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, there was very little time left. Due to doping scandals, the International Swimming Federation did not allow the swimmer to participate in the games.
However, Julia decided to defend her innocence - the girl filed a lawsuit in an arbitration court. After considering her complaint, the judges concluded that the athlete was unlawfully suspended. IOC allowed to speak Efimova in Rio. This was the third Olympics. Swimming (final) Efimova twice was successful. In the first race in the 100 meters breaststroke style, Julia came to the finish line second, losing to the winner - American Lilly King.
The audience went on a rampage, Efimova was booed. And after awarding the winners to the questions of journalists about the Russian athlete, King spoke out extremely impartially. Later, titled American athletes Rio King and Michael supported King's criticism. Julia, on the other hand, was very dignified and tried not to respond to pressure from the Western media.
In subsequent competitions, already at a distance of two hundred meters, Efimova again achieved a high second result. Swimming (Rio) has become one of the most talked about sports.
Personal life
The athlete always hid relations with the opposite sex from journalists, believing that it was worth revealing the truth only being 100% confident in the partner. In early 2015, the media said that the girl had a chosen one. They became Nikita Lobintsev , a Russian swimmer who, just like Julia, is a winner of the Olympic Games (Beijing and London).
In Beijing, the athlete was awarded silver, and at the London Olympics - 2012, Nikita in the relay race together with his team won the bronze award. It is curious that Lobintsev also trained in California with D. Salo.
Currently
The athlete does not take part in the World Short Water Championship, which is currently taking place in Canadian Winsor (from 7.12. To 11.12.) Due to the fact that she decided to take a short timeout. On her page on the social network, Julia thanked her fans for their support and stated that due to the relapse of purulent sore throat, which has been tormented since April, she is forced to undergo surgery. Efimova (swimming for which is everything) also expresses the hope that with a new coach and a new team she will be able to prepare well for the World Cup in Hungary.