Yuliya Andreyevna Yefimova (, also romanized Efimova; born 3 April 1992) is a Russian competitive swimmer. She is the Russian record holder in the 200 metre individual medley (short course), 50 metre breaststroke (short course and long course), 100 metre breaststroke (short course and long course), and 200 metre breaststroke (short course and long course). After making her Olympic debut in 2008, she went on to win the bronze medal in the 200 metre breaststroke in 2012, and silver medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre breaststroke in 2016. She is a six-time World Champion, winning the 50 metre breaststroke in 2009 and 2013, the 100 metre breaststroke in 2015, and the 200 metre breaststroke in 2013, 2017, and 2019. In 2019, she became the first woman to win the 200 metre breaststroke at a FINA World Aquatics Championships three times. She is a former world record holder in the long course 50 metre breaststroke. She has won 109 medals, including 48 gold medals, at Swimming World Cups.

After failing a drug test, Yefimova was disqualified from competition for 16 months, from October 2013 to February 2015, was stripped of her results and medals at the 2013 European Short Course Championships, and four of her world short-course records were invalidated.

Personal life Yefimova was born in Grozny. However, due to the First Chechen War, her family moved to Volgodonsk soon after. There she took up swimming at the age of six, coached by her father Andrey Yefimov. Until 2011, she lived in Taganrog, where she trained under Irina Vyatchanina and studied at the Southern Federal University.Yulia Efimova . nbcolympics.com/ In March 2011, she moved to California, United States, where she was coached by Dave Salo, the head coach of the University of Southern California swimming team.

Career 2007–2009: World record at 17 years of age Yefimova's first notable achievement was winning the 50 metre, 100 metre, and 200 metre breaststroke titles at the 2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships. At 15 years of age, she set her first European record and Russian national record in the short course 200 metre breaststroke with her time of 2:19.08 in the final that won her the gold medal in the event.LEN (14 December 2007). "European Short Course Swimming Championships Debrecen 2007: Women's 200m Breaststroke Finals Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 October 2021. At the 2008 European Aquatics Championships she was the gold medalist in the 200 metre breaststroke and the silver medalist in the 50 metre breaststroke. Yefimova competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when she was 16, placing fourth in the 100 metre breaststroke and fifth in the 200 metre breaststroke. In the prelims heats of the 100 metre breaststroke, she ranked second overall, swimming a new European record and Russian record time of 1:06.08 and finishing behind only Leisel Jones of Australia."2008 Olympic Games Results". USA Swimming. 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2021. At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy, Yefimova won the gold medal in the 50 metre breaststroke in a world record time of 30.09 seconds at 17 years of age.FINA (2 August 2009). "13th FINA World Championships 2009 Rome (ITA): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 17 October 2021.

2010–2013 Yefimova won gold medals at the 2010 European Aquatics Championships in the 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke events. The following year, at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, she won the silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke with a Russian record time of 2:22.22, finishing less than one second behind the gold medalist in the event Rebecca Soni of the United States."Ryan Lochte wins 3rd and 4th golds at swim worlds". Deseret News. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2022."Swimming-Soni wins 200 breaststroke world title, completes 100-200 double". Reuters. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2022."Soni wins women's 200 breaststroke at worlds". Taiwan News. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2022. In 2012, she earned the bronze medal in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2012 Summer Olympics with a new European record time of 2:20.92.Omega Timing; Atos; Acer (10 August 2012). "2012 Olympic Games: Official results book Swimming". USA Swimming. Retrieved 19 October 2021. A year later, at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Yefimova triumphed in the 200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:19.41.FINA (2 August 2013). "15th FINA World Championships Barcelona (ESP): Women's 200m Breaststroke Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 October 2021. In the 50 metre breaststroke prelims heats, she achieved a new world record of 29.78 seconds.FINA (3 August 2013). "15th FINA World Championships 2013 Barcelona (ESP): Women's 50m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 17 October 2021. She won the finals, finishing first in 29.52 seconds.Women's 50m Breaststroke Final. 5th FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Barcelona (ESP) 19 July – 4 August 2013. Omega Timing.

Suspension, disqualifications In January 2014, it was announced that Yefimova had failed an out of competition drug test in October 2013. Her positive test was for DHEA, an endogenous steroid hormone banned in professional sports.Russian Olympic Medal-Winning Swimmer Efimova Fails Doping Test – Report. En.ria.ru (17 January 2014). Retrieved 8 September 2016. On 13 May 2014, she was disqualified by FINA for 16 months, from 31 October 2013 to 28 February 2015. She was stripped of her results and medals at the 2013 European Short Course Championships. Her four world short-course records (two relays and the 50 metre and 200 metre breaststroke set in November/December 2013) were also invalidated."Yuliya Efimova Banned for 16 Months; Stripped of World Records". Swimming World. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2016.

2015 World Aquatics Championships

In August 2015, after 16 months of disqualification due to the positive drug test, Yefimova competed at the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan. She won a gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke with a time of 1:05.66 that was seven tenths of a second faster than the next fastest swimmer, Rūta Meilutytė of Lithuania.FINA (4 August 2015). "16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 16 October 2021. In the 50 metre breaststroke Yefimova won the bronze medal at 30.13 seconds.FINA (9 August 2015). "16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 16 October 2021. In the 200 metre breaststroke she placed 17th in the prelims heats with a time of 2:26.11 and did not advance to the semifinals.FINA (6 August 2015). "16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Women's 200m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 16 October 2021. She also placed fifth in the 4 × 100 metre mixed medley relay, splitting a 1:05.46 for the breaststroke leg of the relay.FINA (5 August 2015). "16th FINA World Championships Kazan (RUS): Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 16 October 2021.

2016 Between 15 February and 30 March 2016, Yefimova tested positive for meldonium six times in total. She was provisionally suspended from international competition by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) on 14 March. With no research on how long the drug stayed in a person's system, she was not banned or given a suspension. In June 2016, Yefimova returned to competition at the Los Angeles Invitational, winning the 200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:22.77.

2016 Summer Olympics

Yefimova was the silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 100 metre breaststroke and 200 metre breaststroke. She also helped set a new Russian national record as part of the 4 × 100 metre medley relay that placed sixth with a time of 3:55.66 in the finals, splitting the fastest breaststroke leg of all finals relays with a time of 1:04.98.Mendes, Rodrigo (19 August 2016). "Rio 2016 Swimming 6 - 13: Results Book". Omega Timing; Atos. Version 1.1. Retrieved 19 October 2021.

Yefimova's participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics was controversial due to doping within the Russian Olympic team. She was initially banned from participation due to her previous doping suspension, but this ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing her to compete. During the Games, she was booed by spectators during each of her races. Yefimova was also criticized for taking performance-enhancing drugs by other swimmers, including Lilly King, who won the gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke. Yefimova won the silver, and during the news conference afterwards, she was "on the verge of tears from the opening question about the boos directed at her."Clarey, Christopher; Crouse, Karen (9 August 2016) "In the Olympic Pool, Contempt for Drug Cheats Rises to the Surface". The New York Times. After Yefimova won silver in the 100 metre breaststroke, ESPN pushed back directly against her presence at the 2016 Olympic Games, stating "Yulia Efimova shouldn't have been in Rio at all".Ford, Bonnie D. (8 August 2016). "Lilly King bangs drum, but others need to clean up the mess". ESPN. Retrieved 16 October 2021. The treatment of Yefimova was also covered by The Washington Post, which pointed out the asymmetry in how people responded to Yefimova competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics compared to the response when Jessica Hardy of the United States competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.Jenkins, Sally (10 August 2016). "In vilifying Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, Americans are splashing murky waters". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2021.

2017 At the 2017 New South Wales State Open Championships in March in Sydney, Australia, Yefimova won the 200 metre breaststroke event with a time of 2:28.80. She also won the 100 metre breaststroke with a time of 1:06.55. A month later, she won the 50 metre breaststroke at the 2017 Russian Championships with a time of 29.88 seconds.

2017 World Aquatics Championships