Yulia Efimova and other 2016 Russian Olympic swimmers received an award from Russia for their accomplishments at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Efimova, along with Evgeny Rylov and Anton Chupkov, were honored by Russia at the Kremlin on August 25, 2016. Efimova won silver in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes, while Rylov and Chupkov each won a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke and breaststroke, respectively. All three of the swimmers were awarded the Master of Sports of Russia award. The award originated with the USSR, and is given to any Russian athlete who has won a medal at an Olympic Games or contributed to sports internationally. Efimova was also awarded with the Medal of Order “For Service to Motherland”, the highest civilian honor awarded by the Russian Federation. This lifetime achievement award is for Russian citizens who contribute to the benefit of the country.
Efimova and the Russian Olympic Federation came under controversy before the 2016 Olympic Games for the discovery of a widespread doping scandal, reaching every sport, dating back to the 2014 Olympics. Efimova was originally barred from competing in Rio, but after appeal she was allowed to compete. She later made headlines for her altercation with American breaststroker Lilly King, who called Efimova out for her two positive doping tests. However, both Chupkov and Rylov have not been accused of doping and were not included in the list of Russian swimmers originally suspended from competing in Rio.
I started the Olympics rooting for King but I quickly switched over to rooting for Efimova even though I am an American. I cannot believe that other Americans do not see that King winning a gold medal is actually bad for America. Winning a medal makes a person a de facto ambassador for the nation that they represent. We now have an arrogant bully representing our nation. Also, I do not think that the evidence against Efimova is very strong. I believe that she likely took the Melodnium before it was banned on January 1st(It may well stay in the blood for up to 9 months). It cannot be proven. Assuming that Efimova is guilty is actually very Un American!… Read more »
I like Yulia. From what I read, Yulia first offense for DHEA was unintentional. She took took a supplement bought at a GNC store in So Cal and did not realize the banned substance was in there. That’s why they only gave her a reduced sentence of 16 months instead of the full two year ban. I think it unfair to compare her to someone who knowingly inject himself without a banned substance. And we the meldonium offense only became listed on banned list on January 2016. The anti-doping agency has not walk back on that ban since they do not know how long that stays in one’s system.
For a professional athlete to just willy nilly take a supplement without checking it first is guilty right there
But the girl has a nice figure so whatever
As a UK journalist said, people used to decry Russia, China, East Germany for using sport as a political propaganda tool to demonstrate “superiority”. The UK has joined them with the millions poured into sport. (Four million pounds for each GB gold is the estimate). True, not through drugs, but still ludicrous for a ridiculous incentive which would not exist if sport were separated from medal tables etc.
U.s. does it too
who is coaching Yulia now?
She said recently that she is going back to LA to get her stuff, then head to Russia. But that she will later make a decision about where to train.
i hope it is a tropical location. I like her bikini photos.
Putin.
To be honest the way she’s found a way out of any sort of punishment is almost worthy of an award in and of itself
She did serve a 16 month ban tho
Yulia has done Mother Russia proud and shown her toughness to the world.
Can you please be more specific what Mother Russia is proud with:
Efimova’s two silver medals or
Efimova’s drug involvement or
Efimova’s lawyers ability to perform in court or
that Efimova was smarter than Sharapova who admitted guilt and therefore was not awarded with anything or
that she successfully learned from American coaches in American first class swimming facilities or that she survived long years of living in LA being surrounded by these Russia hateful Americans
or just all together – proud and that’s it. As any mother is proud of her child.
Setting aside your other points for a moment, two silver medals at the Olympic Games actually sounds like something to be proud of. Remember how Cody Miller reacted to winning bronze in the 100m breaststroke?
GoYulia. There is no Mother Russia, she has sadly been exterminated. Somewhere in Russia’s distance past was a proud, people who had dignity, honor and sense of fair play. How Russia got to the stage of having a state sponsored doping program which covered up positive tests and then honored the convicted dopers who won medals I can’t understand. There is no honor in cheating your way to a medal.
Please face reality and stop defending the indefensible. If you are truly a patriot, stop believing your State media and become part of the solution to get resurrect Mother Russia.
You are wasting your time and good words on GOYULIA. It IS Russian State media. That is how any article about Efimova begins in Russia. Proud.
Actually it is good to have GOYULIA here at swimswam. So those who cannot read Russian have clear picture how State media in Russian Federation looks like.
True, but I will point it out again. Lilly King has not swam clean either and didn’t at Rio. If they would have tested at trials, ncaa, etc… They would have seen that Lilly King uses Coca-Cola as a stimulant or ergogenic aid. That is also banned. I’ve watched her do it. I’ve watched her mom hand it to her from the stand. I’ve seen her repeatedly cheat, and the only consultation I had from it was she would be caught. Now they tout her as queen of clean. BS where is the out cry against your own people?! This is why I’m probably going to quit swimming and never put my kid in sports.
Yes, poor Efimova! She… Read more »
Well this is…something
You realize you are saying Lilly cheats by drinking Coca Cola. The only way she could “cheat” is if she drank so much that she failed for Caffeine. Which she would have to drink a ridiculous amount.
Still, using it as a stimulant makes her a hypocrite. Coca-Cola is known as an ergogenic (defined : enhancing physical performance ). There are studies showing how it does give unfair advantage and is the new format of doping. Go educate yourself first.
It also doesn’t take away how she treats people or what she says about her own family and friends behind their backs, but I digress. See some people do know when to stop themselves.
Also, personal beef much? Maybe you should learn to stop yourself
Yada,
Personal beef was years ago, but her actions reminded me of when I and others went through hell because of her. Of course I’d support anyone that had to go through similar. I just still live in the area and see/hear this crap daily. This forum allowed me to vent so I did. Feels good.
Good for you?
Hey dude when you wag your finger your index finger is vertical, so your thumb is pointing outwards and your other 3 fingers are pointing down. That was the number one issue I had with your argument above everything else was airtight
Based god knows what’s up
Not really. King wagged her finger up in the air and turned her wrist. Lots of pictures depict the 3 finger arguement back at King. Arguement is slightly flawed on both but both hold water.
Please share the link to these studies!!!!
How can you even compare DHEA and Medlonium with Coca Cola. Smh at your useless comparisons
You shot yourself in the foot there. There’s no evidence in the Western scientific of medical literature that meldonium is a PED. There have been no reputable clinical trials in athletes at all. It’s all speculative. There are plenty of studies about caffeine as a PED though.
Meldonium was popular throughout Europe and with older sports guys to protect heart function and not as an enhancer.
Indeed a curious statement about meldonium isn’t it. In fact, meldonium is only produced in Eastern Europe. Strange indeed.
And, Efimova received the drug when she living in Southern California.
@SWIMTEAMX: very interesting and far going definition of PED. Taking any meal is for the purpose of enhancing physical performance. That what babies do eating breast milk – to grow and to perform physically. I’m more than positive that the diet of active competitive swimmer is different from what I am eating. And you know why? Because s/he wants to perform better. I think that Coca-Cola is not defined by WADA as prohibited substance and has nothing to do with your anger. Probably King’s attitude motivated you. And with that I agree with you. Despite her intentions were noble this young lady has to learn the proper way to defend clean sport.
Comparing using Coca-Cola as a stimulant minutes before a race to eatting food for sustenance is ridiculous. Arguement invalid. U.S.A. swimming as well as others have banned caffeine in excess. The problem is that it’s out of your system rather quickly. Test directly after race and we could find out. There are lots of studies U.S. and abroad saying Coca-Cola is a performance enhancer for sprint competition. This should get looked at closer as far as her races.
If you are indeed a guy that makes a scientific approach to the problem then make at least one reference to the scientific study (US or abroad). Otherwise you are flattering yourself with such pen name.
Was the effect of Coca-Cola influencing performance quantitatively measured?
How long is effect lasting(if it exist of course)? Minutes, hours, days?
Is it a reason that King cannot maintain the speed for more than 120 -150 meters?
Tell me science guy and I will thank you for this information. Or I may also use word “ridiculous” in response on your posting.
“Out of your system rather quickly” http://www.news-medical.net/health/Caffeine-Pharmacology.aspx
Half life is 5-6 hours bruhbruh. Max time you’ll ever have after a race is 2, and that’s if media takes forever. Also, if you’ve ever had coffee or tea you’re officially disallowed from complaining about athletes using caffeine; pretty sure that’s in the Constitution somewhere
-Lil B
PS it’s spelled argument
Body shaming….really?
U are fully getting delusional – period . stop it right here .
Yeah, drinking Coca Cola is ‘cheating’ when they just so happen to be the longest continuous sponsor of the entire Olympic Games.
*facepalm*
Very creative.
In summary, Lilly hurt your feelings in the past. Therefore, Coca Cola is an illegal stimulant?
If you listened to the real argument, you’d understand. Swim team x is pointing out that using a known performance enhancing substance as a stimulant right before a race is not “clean sport”. Weed through the upset and see the true argument. Respond to that.
I thought this was a joke at first…coca cola vs prescription meds and an supposedly anabolic agent?? Thats a real stretch there buddy. I guarantee you most olympians probably have some sort of caffeine throughout the day. Its just a slippery slope youre getting on here. Whats next? Are we going to start forcing atheletes ti only eat specific meals and only drink a specific amount of water? Lets put the obvious biases aside for a sec. King uses a perfectly legal caffeine supplement(if you could really call coke a supplement)and effimova has been caught using a newly banned prescription heart medication and the anabolic compound dhea which was banned at the time. You cant honestly draw a comparison between… Read more »
Newly banned is key word. Also the drug was not a proven performance enhancer, and Coca-Cola is. Educate yourselves before responding people.
Ugh, Efimova doesn’t deserve any kind of award!!!
Why do you care what they are doing internally? Russian Goverment capitalizes on everything that raises its popularity. Let people of Russian Federation to worry. Redirect your frustration and anger toward FINA executives and leading members of this international association that awarded Putin with highest FINA’s Honor and let Russia host major swimming events. Fix first problems within your family and then teach your neighbor.
BTW, Efimova spends more time living in USA then in Russia and speaks English better than Russian (at least her Russian has very heavy American accent). The more money she gets from Russian Government the more she spends here in U.S. 🙂
What a narrow minded response and unfortunate at that. What the Russian federation does and how the Russian federation dopes their athletes directly affects every other swimmer from every other country.
If the Russian system is corrupt from top this trickels down to everyone. It affects all Russian athletes and in turn affects others.
Efimova doesn’t deserve the money or the attention. She has tested positive over and over and still competes. Look at Vlad as well neither deserve to be there competing at this level. If you have taken drugs and tested positive or had your positive drug tests hidden you should be banned for life
Everyone says poor Efimova, poor Vlad. What about the poor… Read more »
Not everybody are that lucky to be that wide minded as you are. Blame it on my genetics and bad teachers. But thanks to the swimswam I have plenty of people like you to learn from. But with your so wide view you are missing my small tiny point. If American or Australian or GB or France or other influential swimming federations who constitute the association called FINA were clear and strong with their positions about clean sports regardless money involved then we wouldn’t have such international governing body that provides full support to corrupted sport governing organization in Russia. Even more – awards it. Efimova’s award is nothing compare to the reward received by Putin from FINA. Where have… Read more »
They need an outside group with no political or financial gains to do real testing. Even having tests run at different random locations would help. But nothing said here gets to the eyes of anyone that will change anything. Sports has just become disappointing. 100 years ago it was love of the sport. Today it’s money driven.
I’m against doping and for stiff penalties, but this mantra that they (the Russians) are bad and we’re clean is ridiculous.
The biggest cheat of all time in sport was an American —- Lance Armstrong. The U.S. Postal Service, a U.S. government agency, sponsored him for years. Another of the U.S.’s sports darlings, Marion Jones, doped for years. Get off your high horse.