European Swimming Championships; Pedersen defends title, Efimova’s ban lifted

Dane might meet Russian in upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics

LONDON: Rikke Pedersen successfully defended her 200m breaststroke title at the European Championships on Friday just hours after it emerged that Russian rival Yuliya Efimova’s temporary doping ban had been lifted and that the pair might meet again at the Olympics.

Efimova was banned by governing body FINA after testing positive for meldonium in March and the case will now go straight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The ban had meant that not only could she not compete but the Russian could not train under Dave Salo in the US where rules prevent coaches working with any athlete while they are suspended.



Now she is free to train under Salo at the University of Southern California.

The Russian, however, is still staring at a lifetime ban given it was her second doping offence having already served a 16-month ban after testing positive for the steroid DHEA in late 2013.

Competing at the Olympics in Rio is a real possibility, four years after she won bronze in London, Pedersen locked out by one place in fourth.



Pedersen finished second behind Efimova at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona and when the Russian was stripped of her European short-course medals following her first positive test, Pedersen was upgraded to gold in the 200m.

On Friday, the Dane won a controlled race in 2min 21.69sec ahead of Jessica Vall Montero of Spain and Iceland’s Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2016.

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