European Swimming Championships: Efimova sets new Estonian record, advances to final
Estonian swimmer Eneli Efimova broke her own national record in the 100m breaststroke semifinal at the European Championships and secured a place in Wednesday's final.
At the European Swimming Championships taking place in Paris, Estonia's Eneli Efimova set a new national record in the semifinal of the women's 100m breaststroke. Swimming in lane six of the second semifinal, she completed the distance in 1:05.78, improving the Estonian record set last May by 0.03 seconds.
The result placed Efimova second in her semifinal heat. Britain's Angharad Evans posted the fastest time of that heat, finishing in 1:04.97. In the first semifinal, Ireland's Mona McSharry was quickest with a time of 1:05.64. Combining results from both semifinals, Efimova ranked third overall.
Two years ago, Efimova won gold in the same event at the championships in Budapest, clocking 1:06.41 and finishing more than half a second ahead of her closest rival.
The final of the women's 100m breaststroke will be held in Paris on Wednesday evening. Speaking live after her race, Efimova said fans may have been more nervous than she was, adding that she fully trusts her coach. She noted that both her personal best and the national record had now been set, but that Wednesday's final matters even more.
