2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
- Budapest, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- Full Competition Schedule
- Meet Info
- Psych Sheets
- Omega Results
- Pick ’em Contest
- Event-by-Event Previews
Russia’s Yuliya Efimova added a 4th medal to her 2017 World Championship collection during the final female event of the meet, the women’s 400 medley relay. Her and the Russian squad annihilated the European record to win silver in 3:53.38, and Efimova had a historic breaststroke split.
The 25-year-old threw down the fastest breaststroke leg in history, coming in at 1:04.03. She surpasses Chen Huijia of China’s 1:04.12 from the 2009 World Championships.
Lilly King, who broke the 100m world record in 1:04.13, split 1:04.48 on the relay as the Americans won gold. She also split 1:04.17 on the mixed medley relay earlier in the meet.
Former world record holder Jessica Hardy‘s fastest split is just 1:05.10. The American team was DQed in prelims in 2009 preventing Rebecca Soni from throwing down something there, as she went 1:04.8 individually. Her best split comes from 2011, 1:04.71. Ruta Meilutyte, also a former world record holder, hasn’t done a relay split in many years given Lithuania hasn’t entered any relays at any big international meets.
Though mixed lead-off legs don’t count as official times, we’re going to count King’s mixed split here in the top relay legs in history. Check out the list below:
- Yuliya Efimova, 1:04.03 (2017)
- Chen Huijia, 1:04.12 (2009)
- Lilly King, 1:04.15 (2017)
- Lilly King, 1:04.48 (2017)
- Leisel Jones, 1:04.58 (2008)
- Sarah Katsoulis, 1:04.65 (2009)
- Rebecca Soni, 1:04.71 (2011)
- Yuliya Efimova (2013) / Rebecca Soni (2012), 1:04.82
- –
- Katie Meili, 1:04.93 (2016)
A safe relay start should give you a 7/10ths advantage over a flat start. Plus, the adrenaline makes you go even faster. You don’t want to let your teammates down. It is pretty cmon to see relay splits a full second faster than what a swimmer does individually. King’s relay splits in Rio and Budapest were both slower than her individual swims though. Instead of going 1:03 low she goes 1:04 mid. It is over a second off of what she is capable of. It is still faster than anyone else we could have pit on the relay but I have to wonder whether she really gets up for the relay or does she think her day is done after… Read more »
In water Efimova is clearly the best breaststroker. Her style is brilliant.
Yeah. She really catches and doesn’t bounce her head up as much as King. Although I think she could work on the stopping in the middle of the stroke, she should try it a little more smooth. But i really shouldn’t comment until I’m her speed. lol
“Her and her Russian squad” should be “She and her Russian squad”, no?
Absolutely.
That’s an incredible swim. I feel like she’s just getting faster too. Btw who the hell is Chen Huijia and what’s up with all these Chinese one hit wonders?
I can barely find anything online about her and her swimming career, can’t even find her name in Chinese characters to be able to search that and see what comes up. Mysterious. You are right, they do have a lot of one hit wonders from china that occasionally produce a solid time at one big international competition, then fade into oblivion, never showing up in swim results ever again.
A lot of them showed up at the 2009 world champs with the super suits. I have a feeling that had something to do with that.
Of course, because her flat start is horrendous. In the water, she’s the fastest 100 breastroker, she was just at King’s hip on the start.
Hopefully she focuses on that start the next couple of years so she can get that double in Tokyo.
I am just happy her relay start was better than the Rio Olympic one. 😉