Yulia Efimova Posts 200m Breaststroke World No. 1 With 2:21.35

Yulia Efimova Posts 200m Breaststroke World No. 1 With 2:21.35

Yulia Efimova lead Russian Swimming Championships Wednesday night in Moscow with a 2:21.35 in the 200m breaststroke. Vladimir Morozov and Danila Izotov posted 48.23 and 48.53 in the 100m freestyle. Svetlana Chimrova posted a new Russian record in the 100m

Apr 12, 2017 by Maclin Simpson
Yulia Efimova Posts 200m Breaststroke World No. 1 With 2:21.35
On Wednesday night at the 2017 Russian Championships in Moscow, ​Yulia Efimova ​catapulted to the top of the 2017 world rankings in the women's 200m breaststroke with a very swift 2:21.35.​

Efimova held a strong pace throughout the first 150 meters, on pace for a 2:20 low, but faded a touch over the final 50 meters. Check out her splits:

50m: 33.45
100m: ​35.09 (1:08.54)
150m: ​35.78 (1:44.32)
200m: ​37.03 (2:21.35)

Her time of 2:21.35 is actually faster than the 2:21.97 she swam to earn a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. ​Rie Kaneto ​of Japan swam a 2:20.30 for the gold medal in that race.​

Efimova currently holds the second-fastest performance with a 2:19.41, which she set en route to a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. ​Rikke Moller Pedersen ​of Denmark holds the world record with a 2:19.11, which she set in the semifinals at the 2013 World Championships. Pedersen would go on to finish second behind Efimova in the final with a 2:20.08.

Some other notable performances from Wednesday night in Moscow include:

​Vladimir Morozov ​posted a 48.23 in the finals of the men's 100m freestyle -- the third-fastest time in the world this year thus far. ​Danila Izotov ​had a strong swim as well, dropping a quick 48.53.

Svetlana Chimrova uncorked a 57.42 in the semifinals of the women's 100m butterfly -- a new Russian record, which she previously owned as well.