Efimova: Dream of Gold postponed to Tokyo

After the Olympic Games in Rio silver 100m breaststroke, Yuliya Efimova won the second place at a distance twice as long.

By all the laws of the earth for a long time she had run out of power. First, the moral. Stories with Meldonium (Mildronate), non-admission to the Games, whistling crowd reaction and exhausted rivals even the fans. What can we speak about the athlete, which all this had fallen on his head. Second, to the Olympics she came not in the best physical condition. Parting with the American coach David Salo, serious illness, and endless litigation banal did not give her a chance to properly prepare for the 200 Still, if a hundred, you can shoot at the freshness, then three times in two days to swim two hundred at the top level -. It is a different history.

However Efimova continues to amaze. She probably never finish doing it. Though something to her after a losing streak was lucky. Universe compensate for this "something" in the form of a sharp decline in the results of the women's 200-meters.

Judge for yourself, at the Olympics in London Rebecca Soni won the distance with 2.19,59. At the World Cup 2013 semi-final Rikke Moeller Pedersen set a world record - 2.19,11. But then before long reached crisis breaststroke. At last year's World Cup in Kazan - where Efimov, recall, not made it to the semi-finals - he won Kanoka Watanabe with modest 2.21,15.

This year, the best result of the season, another Japanese - Kaneto. 2.19,65. Another thing is that the Japanese, in particular Kaneto traditionally shown at the April national championship superfast seconds, and for the main starts somewhat slow down the momentum. It happened in Rio. However, it was enough to Olympic gold.

At the same tactics Julia did everything absolutely right. 200 m - is one of the most complex strategically distances. "If from the start start strongly, there is a risk that the force will not be enough in the second half Begin to weak -. The second half of the muscles still accumulate tired - and nothing you can do", - explained Alexander Nemtyrev, Anton Chupkova coach, in a recent interview.

A good example of the complexity of the entire crotch 200-meters become yesterday's men's swim this distance. The first 150 m to the schedule, exceeding the world record Kosek. Anton Chupkov 50 meters before the finish was eighth. The final result you know. If not, remember - Russian won the medal and the Japanese was only fifth.

Efimova first 50 meters of the start of calmer, the second moved to fourth place, after the third - the second. Destiny gold solved the last "pool". Corona section of Russians. But as such it is only subject to the proper amount of training volume. And their absence, coupled with excessive desire has led only to the fact that in the last meters Efimova completely collapsed appliances. Before she reached the silver exclusively on the moral standing. There is a second medal at the Olympics, at which the Russians might not be.

Who walks on the internet video Repeat female final swim in the 100m breaststroke. On the replay on one of the cameras clearly shows that the competition winner Lily King not correctly turn. American has touched the rim, first with his left hand and then the right, while on the rules of touch must be simultaneous. In an amicable way, will be suspended.

Now, of course, too late to appeal. The Russian team of people who responded quickly to the situation, alas, none. And, honestly, purely in sports such turn almost brought King some dividends. But the question here is quite different. It would be interesting to ask Lily as she and her categorical intolerance to any kind of disturbances and an increased thirst for justice, will sleep at night now knowing that won the gold medal in this way?