The Russian national swimming championships in Kazan have proven that the country’s Olympic medal ambitions do not rest solely on Yulia Efimova, as dozens of other athletes recorded stunning results during the contest.
Anna Egorova, 22, was among the swimmers who produced remarkable performances in Kazan, establishing herself as the team leader in freestyle disciplines.
The Kaliningrad native not only won the women’s 400m freestyle race, but also set a new national record in the process, securing a spot in the Olympic squad.
“Taking into account my results displayed at the distance, I’m in good shape. But I really felt nervous ahead of the race, because this championship is of great importance with Olympic berths being at stake. I’m very happy to qualify [for the Olympics],” the swimmer said.
Egorova clocked a time of four minutes and one second (4:01), beating the Olympic qualifying time by three seconds.
“I didn’t stick to any tactics during the race, I just wanted to finish in the top two and beat the national record. I thought that I could show a time of 4:05, but my final result turned out to be even better,” Egorova added.
The swimmer entered the national team in 2017, winning the European bronze in the women’s 800m freestyle event the following year.
She also helped her teammates to clinch silver in the 4x200m relay race at the same tournament.
The stunning blonde is an active social media user, having amassed 10,600 followers on Instagram, an audience which is growing with each new competition.
Along with pictures from swimming competitions, Egorova also shares bikini snaps from her vacations, which trigger an avalanche of compliments from her fans.