How Chikunova destroyed the world record and reminded about Efimov

The 200m breaststroke received a new world leader at the Russian Championships in Kazan. Evgenia Chikunova set the record with a time of 2 minutes 17.55 seconds, 1.4 seconds faster than Tatiana Schonmaker of South Africa, who had previously competed at the Russian Championships.

In Kazan, Evgenia won the 100m breaststroke with the best result of the season in the world (he became the seventh fastest in history). And then, in the truest sense of the word, rushed 200 meters. She spared neither herself nor her rivals – in person and in absentia. The world record has been set and now has to be ratified by the International Swimming Federation (World Aquatics).

Zhenya did not disclose her plans for the Russian Championship in Kazan, moreover, she said that the questions about the world record before the swim “irritated me a little”. The reason is simple: it is “morally more convenient” not to respond to such things, not to think, but to do. And the fact that she has now achieved it, one must also realize: “until the euphoria has covered.” But nevertheless she admitted that she wanted to set a record for a very long time.

There is no stretch in her words – yes, she is 18 years old, but she wanted to break the record for a long time. She had every right to want and to beat. Even at the age of 14, at the Russian Championship, Evgenia won her crown distance against the most titled Russian athlete Yulia Efimova. Then a dashing story wrapped up in the pool: who should be sent to the World Championships in Gwangju? Titled, winner of silver and bronze of the Olympic Games, repeated world champion Efimova or young Chikunova? Julia swam in Gwangju, and Zhenya – at the junior world championship. Chikunova convincingly showed that she is the strongest of all at her age. And Efimova not only swam at the main start, but won gold.

foreign place

And two years later, the plot for the Russian Championship decided to return: Efimova lost again. She then already got into the Olympic team through a distance of 100 m breaststroke. And at a distance twice as long, she fulfilled the qualifying standard for participation in the Olympic Games, but … she again became third, losing silver to Maria Temnikova. And after the swim, she said that she was generally ready to abandon the start of the 200m breaststroke. The now 16-year-old Evgenia Chikunova again took first place in the Russian Championship (2:21.63 – feel the difference with the current result),

Efimova herself said that she would accept any decision of the leadership. But she stated: “If in three months I have done such results, then a couple more months, and I will be ready to compete at a different level.” And she remembered how she had already lost the Russian championship many times, arguing that this did not mean anything. Like, there are athletes who are preparing exclusively for the championship of Russia, and her goal is international starts. And she also had the right to draw conclusions: for 13 years she herself showed how she can lead to the main starts. But the sporting principle nevertheless prevailed, Efimova did not swim the crown 200 meters in Tokyo.

Evgenia Chikunova won the selection for both distances with gold. Therefore, there could be no doubt. But the Games prepared their blow: both at a distance of 100 meters and 200 meters, Zhenya ended up with a wooden medal. The one that is cursed by athletes: you were close, but did not reach. She was 0.04 seconds short of bronze at the 200m in Tokyo. Yulia Efimova lost the 100 meters to Zhenya, placing fifth (1:05.90 vs. 1:06.02).

And the winner of the 200-meter race in Tokyo, Tatyana Schonmaker, set a world record. The frustrated Zhenya said about this record that it motivates her to show fast seconds even more. “I understood that Tanya was swimming very fast, and I was not ready for such speeds. I understood that I would not win, but I expected to be in the prizes.

Zhenya seemed to be smiling then, going out to reporters in Japan, but tears were also on the way. She said that only the first Olympic Games, and after all, the Games are very stressful, the only consolation is that she is only 16 years old. The fact that the next Olympics in her life may not be, never occurred to anyone.

And then she also said that after the hundred-meter race she “went in to read her interviews”. She admitted that she did it in vain, of course, because it is “unimaginable what they write in the comments, I can’t imagine how people have the brains to write such things.” And they wrote that if Zhenya did not take the medal, he would be mixed with mud, because he was taking someone else’s place.

This is where I started crying. And she tried to explain what upset her: you can’t devalue the work of athletes like that, even getting to the Olympics is worth a lot, “even if you didn’t make it to the semifinals, it’s a long way.” And you have to train far from home, and “no words can describe how hard it is, especially at 16 years old.” And it’s unbearable to read to yourself that you swim on doping: “How can you swim at that age?! I don’t know, I’m floating somehow.”

I considered the result in Tokyo literally a tragedy, because I could have done better. But today it didn’t work. And it turned out to be a strange place for her, and only in the sense that she remained outside the top three.

After the Olympics, Chikunova won silver in the 200m breaststroke at the World Short Course Championships. And then a new blow followed: now for the entire team: international tournaments cut off the water for Russia.

Rumble of the record

WFTU President Vladimir Salnikov, four-time Olympic champion, multiple world champion, said after Chikunova’s achievement at the Russian Championships that “everyone now felt a boost of energy.” And Zhenya literally “lit up” and this is a breakthrough for an athlete, she was close to high results.

And yet, Salnikov, the world record holder himself, who knows what fast seconds are, focused on this, Chikunova had a big lead in the distance. After all, Evgenia was ahead of the silver medalist of the Russian championship by almost 9 seconds, Salnikov believes that she could “share” this time. But Zhenya did her best, did not save money, deservedly received a good result: “I think the roar from this record has gone far.”

Hug for the rout

Yes, Evgenia did not just break the world record. Her 2:17.55 was knocked over by the former leaders at a distance of 2:18.95. Such an excess is a lot. As the two-time Olympic champion Yevgeny Rylov said, the previous record can be said to be “completely destroyed”. Beaten not as usual, by one or two tenths, but by more than a second.

The World Championships in Japan, which will be held in July, like all our swimmers, Evgenia Chikunova will not see. The International Swimming Federation will decide whether to return Russia to the sport or not after the application deadline.

And yet, in our difficult and yet not very optimistic swimming realities, one thing happened, albeit private, but international and unexpected. Tatyana Schonmaker, having lost her world record, wrote to Zhenya. As it is accepted now – on the social network for everyone to see: “Yes, yes, yes! You just crushed it, girl. Congratulations! I just want to give you a big hug now.”