13-Year-Old Jefimova Sets Senior Estonian Record With 1:05.62 100 Breast

The 2020 Short Course Estonian Swimming Championships ran from December 20 to the 21st in Tallinn, Estonia. The nation’s fastest swimmers made the most of the short course timed finals, collectively downing 7 senior national records and 9 national age-group records.

One of the biggest records of the meet came from 13-year-old Eneli Jefimova who became the first-ever Estonian woman to crack 1:06 in the short course 100 breast. Jefimova raced to a 1:05.62 to take down Maria Romanjuk‘s previous mark of 1:06.25 from last year. Romanjuk was also present at the meet and finished second to Jefimova in the 100 breast with a 1:06.69. Simona Rasmann rounded out the top three with a 1:10.45.

Note: It was originally reported that Jefimova is 14 but she is actually 13 years old and will turn 14 on December 27, 2020.

That swim for Jefimova places was close to a full second off her previous best time in the event of 1:06.48 from last month. The swim places her at #3 worldwide in 2020 among juniors this year, trailing Benedetta Pilato’s 1:03.55 and Anastasia Gorbenko’s 1:05.28.

Having lost her 100 breast NR, Romanjuk was back on day 2 to take down a 14-year-old Estonian record in the 400 IM. Her swim of 4:48.52 was quick enough to shave 0.36 seconds off Natalia Hissamutdinova’s previous mark of4:48.88 from back in 2006. Romanjuk’s previous was a 4:48.98, just 0.10 off the record, from last December. Her national record-breaking swim gave her the top spot on the podium, ahead of Violanta Gurjanova’s 5:07.10 for silver and Laura Tammik’s 5:14.69 for bronze.

A third national record that fell this week in the men’s 100 freestyle. Daniel Zaitsev raced to a 47.47 NR lowering it from a 47.57 which Kregor Zirk set at the 2016 Nordic Championships. Zaitsev won the event by over two seconds with Joonas Niine finishing second with a 50.09 and Nikita Tsernosev hit a 50.25 for third.

In the men’s 200 backstroke Armin Evert Lelle also broke one of Zirk’s records, lowering the NR from a 1:54.20 to a 1:52.78. That was Lelle’s fastest swim by nearly 4 seconds, having had a PB of 1:56.64 from 2017 going into the race. Lelle was the only sub-2:00 swim in the field with Alan Smok claiming silver in a 2:00.42 and Jannes Niine taking bronze with a 2:03.57.

Alan Smok’s 2:00.42 was quick enough to set a new 16&under Estonian record in the event. Daniil Drozdov and Mariangela Boitsuk set new 16&under records in the boys 100 medley and girls 50 fly with times of 56.31 and 27.09, respectively. In the 14&under age group, Trevor Kaego set a new age-group record with his 2:10.52.

Enelia Jefimova’s 1:05.62 100 breast senior national record also counted as both 14&under and 16&under. Jefimova also hit new 14&under and 16&under records in the 50 breaststroke with a 30.68 which is within a second of Jane Trepp’s 2009 record of 29.82 and a 14&under record in the 200 IM.

The final three senior national records came in the form of relays as Cevin Siim, Kregor Zirk, Kaspar Helde, and Marko-Matteus Langel downed the 4×200 freestyle relay, lowering the record to a 7:10.56. The previous mark was a 7:16.70 from earlier this year. Those same 4 men also broke the 4×100 freestyle relay, swimming a 3:15.29 to improve upon the 2015 record of 3:15.70.

On the women’s side, Jekaterina Vorontsova, Annika Vainikk, Alina Vedehhova, and Maria Romanjuk bettered the 2019 record of 3:50.87 with a 3:48.49.