Yuliya Efimova to Race Budapest, Indy Stops of FINA Champions Series

Olympic medalist Yuliya Efimova will race at the Budapest and Indianapolis stops of the 2019 FINA Champions Series, Russian site RSport reported last week.

The Budapest leg, the second of the three-meet series, will take place on May 11-12; Indianapolis will take place May 31 – June 1. Efimova is evidently sitting out the first stop in Guangzhou, China, in April.

The Champions Series will be swum in long course with athletes participating on an invite-only basis and will include a team scoring format. It was announced in December amid FINA’s attempt to block the International Swim League, which has a similar format.

Notably, the ISL bans all swimmers who have ever been sanctioned for a doping violation, and thus, Efimova could not compete in that competition. She tested positive for DHEA in an out-of-competition drug test in October 2013 and was banned for 16 months. Additionally, she tested positive for meldonium six times in 2016, but was not given a suspension due to a lack of information about how long the drug stays in a person’s system. She was initially among the Russian Olympic qualifiers who were barred from the 2016 Rio Games, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport controversially overturned that ruling, allowing her to compete.

FINA sent invites to 45 male swimmers from 15 different countries, and to 37 female swimmers from 17 different countries, but we don’t know exactly who was invited. The list of invited swimmers includes “Rio 2016 Olympic medallists, Budapest 2017 World Championships’ medallists, World Record holders, and leaders of the 2018 FINA World Swimming Rankings,” FINA says.

Efimova was presumably invited to race the 50, 100, and 200 breast, as she took second, third, and first in those events, respectively, at the 2017 FINA World Championships. She was also the Rio silver medalist in both the 100 and 200.

The competition as a whole will lack distance events, with each meet including timed finals of just 50, 100, and 200m races in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, as well as a 400 free and a 200 IM. FINA will award nearly $4 million in prize money across the series, making it the richest swimming event in the organization’s history. It will also cover athletes’ travel costs and provide them with appearance money.

Efimova joins fellow Russians Vlad Morozov and Anton Chupkov among the athletes confirmed for the series. Outside of those three, only American Michael Andrew, who is currently suing FINA, has committed.

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tea rex
5 years ago

If FINA sent invites to 37 females, there will probably only be 2-6 swimmers per event, depending on who accepts the invitation.

Ferb
5 years ago

She should be quite popular in Indianapolis.

SUM Ting Wong
Reply to  Ferb
5 years ago

Are you suggesting she should have a 24/7 security detail? Email FINA with any knowledge you may have of threats /or hostile situation .

Hswimmer
Reply to  Ferb
5 years ago

LOL

Cheatin Vlad
5 years ago

Will be a good training meet for Yuliya, we should all wish her well.

Hswimmer
Reply to  Cheatin Vlad
5 years ago

No

Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Russia not making it easy for the ISL. First, Russia sanctions the Oligarch a few months ago, then they send some of their best swimmers to the FINA champs. And, apparently, have recruited MA to the FSB.

swimsportnews
5 years ago

Just to keep you guys up to date: One more confirmation from German. Franziska Hentke will swim in Budapest.

–> https://swimsportnews.de/9213-update-hentke-startet-bei-fina-champions-series-in-budapest

bear drinks beer
Reply to  swimsportnews
5 years ago

Plus Felipe Lima from Brazil.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bthhag8FlYk/

bear drinks beer
Reply to  bear drinks beer
5 years ago

Despite earlier news saying Aussie participation is unlikely, it seems C1 will race the Asian Leg:

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/cate-and-brontes-fight-for-big-bashstyle-swimming-professional-league/news-story/52097d4417aafc7cfbecb543b6f5198e

Australia will send a full-strength team to this year’s world championships in South Korea, and Cate plans to swim in the opening leg of the $5.4 million Champions Swim Series, which FINA recently created in response to ISL.

A handful of Australians, including Rio Olympic champions Kyle Chalmers and Mack Horton, have received invitations and could join Cate at the first leg in China before skipping second and third rounds in Hungary and the United States because they are too close to the Australian championships. (Per Daily Telegraph)

Taa
Reply to  swimsportnews
5 years ago

just swimming at one location. I suspect this will be common. Efimova only swimming at 2.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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