Besieged Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, who has twice been caught for banned substances, defended herself against attacks by saying her situation is no different than that of American star Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time.
Responding to comments from the US’s Lilly King and Great Britain’s Chloe Tutton, who do not believe she should be competing at these Games, Efimova sighed at a press conference on Thursday then said: “What would (King) say about Michael Phelps?”
A Russian press official later told the Wall Street Journal that this was a reference to Phelps being photographed in 2009 holding a marijuana pipe. USA Swimmingsuspended Phelps after the photo surfaced. Efimova made her remarks in Russian after winning the silver medal in the 200m breaststroke. It was her second medal of the Olympics. Earlier in the week she won another silver, losing to King.
“I myself am, of course, against doping,” Efimova said at her press conference. “I never used it on purpose but I know there have been very many occasions where people do it because they don’t know or because they’re stupid or naive. There always should be another chance…when you are driving your car and you break down you get a ticket you don’t lose your license for life or get put in jail.”
Earlier in the night, Efimova was criticized by Great Britain’s Chloe Tutton who had finished fourth in the 200, essentially losing a medal to someone who has been suspended twice for banned substances. “You know being fourth is a little gutty but I would like it to be completely clean,” Tutton said.
When pressed by reporters whether she thought, like King, that Efimova should not be in the Olympics because of her past positive tests for a steroid in 2013 and meldonium last winter, Tutton hesitated for a moment. “Touchy subject,” she said before adding: “I can’t help who is here. I’m not happy with it but that’s what it is. People have to get on with it.”
Efimova has said she took the steroid by mistake and stopped using meldonium before it was banned at the start of this year. She has claimed she had traces of the drug in her system from previous use. The International Swimming Federation pulled her ban before the Olympics, after the world anti-doping agency reviewed her case and gave their approval. That hasn’t stopped other swimmers like King and Tutton from directing their rage about clean competition toward her.
On Thursday she seemed irritated that the subject kept coming up. At one point she complained that she was getting the same question repeatedly. At another, a Russian reporter asked if she was frustrated at answering repeated questions about her previous use. She said she used to get upset about criticism in the past but has learned to handle it as she has gotten older
Still she was increasingly frustrated. The first question directed to her was about King and she fired off an answer in Russian, then seemed disgusted that the answer had not been translated in English. When the press conference moderator asked her to repeat her answer she sighed heavily. She grabbed a question about stories in the American press that are considered favorable to her saying: “The truth is coming out.”
But when another writer asked her again about King, her irritation grew. “I said it before and I can say it now there are only two Americans I can respect and listen to,” said Efimova, who trains in California, naming her coaches which includes USC head swimming coach Dave Salo. “All the others who say something, I don’t care.”
Efimova did receive support from the gold medalist, Japan’s Rie Kaneto, who said that Efimova’s presence at the Olympics “I think indicates that she is clean now.”
Doping was a perpetual topic on Thursday. Just before the swim program began the Brazilian newspaper Estadao reported that Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi has tested positive for doping. The story said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport was meeting on Thursday to decide Xinyi’s fate for the Olympics. The 18-year-old swimmer is scheduled to participate in the 50m freestyle on Friday after finishing fourth in the 100m butterfly earlier in the week.
Estadao’s story said Xinyi’s blood had been drawn before coming to Rio and that she did not know of the positive test before arriving here. According to the report she learned of the test and a suspension two days ago and appealed the ruling to the CAS. Estadao reported that there have been rumors that Chinese swimmers have been doping even before the Olympics began but did not elaborate.
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