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Russia’s Yuliya Efimova has been caught up in the rampant amount of positive tests for meldonium that has recently taken place among Russian sports stars since the drug moved to the prohibited list this year according to Russian media Sports Express.
Efimova, who already served a 16-month ban for a positive test for DHEA steroids, could face a lifetime ban after what is being reported to have been an in-competition positive test.
“The Federation is aware that Efimova tested positive for meldonium,” the Russian swimming federation stated through a spokesperson.
This is not likely the last Russian swimmer to be named as one of the 100 cases that have tested positive for meldonium. There could be a lot more Russian swimmers named if rumors Swimming World has heard turn out to be true.
Today, the Russian Swimming Federation confirmed Efimova’s temporary suspension, and pointed to the fact that many Russians swimmers have trained outside of Russia as the reason for the positive tests.
“In connection with the publication appeared in the media concerning Yulia Efimova, All-Russian Swimming Federation informs that it has received from the International Federation of FINA documents confirming the temporary suspension from competition athletes in connection with a possible anti-doping rule violation.
In order to obtain information with the explanation for this situation, the President of the WFTU, Vladimir Salnikov will meet soon with leaders FGBU “Center of sports preparation of national teams of Russia” and the Ministry of Sports of Russia. In September 2015, according to the approved individual plans, a number of swimmers was sent for training abroad. Ensuring the preparation of this group of swimmers has been fully taken FGBU “Center athletic training teams of Russia” and was appointed curator of the official of the group Sergey Ilyin.”
Efimova swims for the Trojan Swim Club in Southern California here in the United States.
“I am obviously disappointed if the reports are true,” Trojan Swim Club head coach Dave Salo told Swimming World. “Since coming to the United States to train there is an awareness that anyone training in the USA will be subject to regular testing unlike the circumstances almost anywhere else in the world. Yulia, like everybody else in my Trojan Swim Club, are subject to testing often by USADA/WADA on a nearly weekly basis.
This time around, Efimova is one of nearly 100 cases of athletes nailed for testing positive for meldonium since the drug moved from being controlled to prohibited this year. The most visible case being tennis star Maria Sharapova, who failed a drug test for meldonium at the Australian Open.
Meldonium has been said to have been taken by Russian athletes as much as Vitamin C, according Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko on the Russian-24 broadcast network
Efimova is an Olympic medal favorite this year. She’s the top ranked swimmer in the world in the women’s 100-meter breast with a 1:05.70 from the Arena Pro Swim Series stop in Orlando. She’s also ranked second in the world in the 200-meter breast with a 2:21.41 from that same meet.
Efimova already lost several world records as well as European championship victories from her previous suspension.
FINA imposed a 16-month competition ban retroactive to Oct. 31, 2013 when making the announcement in May 2014. That ban also included a loss of all results since Oct. 31, 2013 that includes four European short course titles and four world records.
The European short course wins trickle down to Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte (50-meter breast along with her 100-meter breast win), and Rikke Pedersen Moeller (200-meter breast). Additionally, Germany finished with the mixed 200-meter medley relay victory for the team of Christian Diener, Caroline Ruhnau, Steffen Deibler and Dorothea Brandt. Also, Denmark’s women’s 200-meter medley relay earned gold with Mie Nielsen, Jeanette Ottesen, Pernille Blume and Pedersen taking home that win with Russia losing the world record in that event.
Overall, Efimova lost four world records. The women’s 200-meter breaststroke record of 2:14.39 went back to Rebecca Soni’s 2:14.57 from the Duel in the Pool. Russia also lost the mixed medley relay and women’s medley relay records from Euro short course champs. Additionally, Efimova’s 50-meter breaststroke record from the FINA World Cup tour was not ratified.
During her hearings with the FINA Doping Panel, Efimova plead ignorance stating that she had taken similar supplements containing L-carnitine since she was a teenager, and that a sales person at a local GNS store in Los Angeles told her that a product named Cellucor CLK was “doping-free.”
Efimova then claimed that her lack of English skills helped lead her to the poor decision to take the supplement, instead of just not taking any L-carnitine at all, especially since DHEA was “clearly listed as an ingredient on the label of the product.”
Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Magazine
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Time to investigate and ban the whole country from rio
What do you mean whole country ?
Like Russian athletics. They are undergoing investigation and will not be able to comply to be at rio. They should have pushed the same for all Russian sports
Bryan Craig pretty sure that she is training in USA…
Bryan Craig pretty sure that she is training in USA…
Olivia De Maroussem that may be so but there’s been a series of Russians who have been banned in swimming over the years and pretty sure it’s not been investigated as closely as the athletics has.
http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1035377/russia-request-scientific-research-on-meldonium-from-wada
Seems it’s cropping up a bit with the Russians, she can train anywhere in the world but may be asking the question of russada what can I take??
one more sick athlete…
one more sick athlete…
Seems to be an awful lot of high profile athletes on “heart medication ” these days ?
Csak tetszik tudni,az a baj ezzel az egésszel,hogy a hölgy tökéletes stílusban úszik.Nehezen képzelem el,hogy benyeli a doppingot és attól olyan kiváló.
Russians where fishy all the time ,all of them are sketchy 🙂 whole country are corrupted ,same as their people . Can’t win anything without cheating .
Why is Dave Salo not being investigated? He knowingly continued to train Hardy and Efimova when he knew they both had histories of doping. Does no one else find this highly suspicious?
It is actually against FINA policy to train someone that is banned. Not sure anyone follows up and enforces that rule!?
About time that someone in swimming gets banned for life for illegal drug use – if Efimova is found guilty again throw away the key and her coaches / country should be extensively investigated – new rule = one strike & you’re out!!!?
She’s not Chinese for once, FINA!!
Juan Andrés Restrepo Gil Pilla
Ban her for life, she is a disgrace to this sport
Andrew Catchpole
Mads Frydenholm
why is it happening with Russian athletes? Doping test should be taken all athletes for every mega event.
Funnily enough Swim Swam and BlueSeventy gave her swim of the week the other day. Swimming in general needs to take a good look at itself!!!