State-run Russian media site TASS has reported that the Russian Olympic swim team will be conducting the first stage of their pre-Tokyo training camp in Lake Krugloye before heading to Vladivostok for the second portion.
The team was originally planning on completing the second half of the camp in Osaka, Japan. That would place them in the country where the Games will be held a few weeks ahead of the first swimming session on July 24.
Vladivostok is Russia’s largest port city on the Pacific Coast of the country with a population of over 600,000. The city is about an 8-and-a-half hour flight from Moscow, but is only about a two hour and 15 minute flight to Tokyo. Vladivostok is +1 hour time zone versus Tokyo, and is only slightly west of Tokyo on latitude.
Russia previously camped there before the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, which is also very close.
Head coach of the team Sergei Chepik explained that despite the original plan to train in Osaka, “the training camp will take place before we leave for Vladivostok on July 6. All athletes, including the leaders, are in perfect order.”
The reason for the change of plans seems to be a lack of communication from Osaka regarding the conditions of the camp.
“We are waiting for how the situation will develop. While we are waiting for clear answers from Osaka on the conditions, but they are still silent. the decision to stay in Vladivostok until the end” said Chepik. “If Osaka nevertheless proposes conditions that will suit us, then we will accept them. But 99% that we will stay in Vladivostok since the Japanese are still silent.”
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, several Japanese cities and towns have canceled foreign training camps.
The first stage of the camp began on June 10, 2021, which gives the team roughly a month at Lake Krugloye before they head to Vladivostok.
Chepik added that it is likely that the U.S.-based Vlad Morozov will likely not participate in either portion of the camp and will likely join the team in Tokyo. He also said that they have yet to hear from Yuliya Efimova regarding her plans and they aren’t sure whether she will join the camp in Vladivostok or if she will, like Morozov, meet the team in Tokyo. Efimova is normally based in the U.S., but has been training in Europe amid the ongoing Mare Nostrum series.
With the recent addition of Grigory Tarasevich in the men’s 200 backstroke, the most recent version of the 2021 Russian Olympic squad includes the following names:
Men |
|
Athlete | Event |
Ilya Borodin | 200 m individual medley |
400 m individual medley | |
Anton Chupkov | 100 m breaststroke |
200 m breaststroke | |
Ilya Druzhinin | 800 m freestyle |
Ivan Girev | 200 m freestyle |
Kliment Kolesnikov | 50 m freestyle |
100 m freestyle | |
100 m backstroke | |
Aleksandr Kudashev | 200 m butterfly |
Martin Malyutin | 200 m freestyle |
400 m freestyle | |
Kirill Martynychev | 1500 m freestyle |
Andrey Minakov | 100 m freestyle |
100 m butterfly | |
Vladimir Morozov | 50 m freestyle |
Kirill Prigoda | 100 m breaststroke |
200 m breaststroke | |
Evgeny Rylov | 100 m backstroke |
200 m backstroke | |
Maxim Stupin | 400 m individual medley |
Grigory Tarasevich | 200 m backstroke |
Mikhail Vekovishchev | 100 m butterfly |
Aleksandr Yegorov | 400 m freestyle |
800 m freestyle | |
1500 m freestyle | |
Andrey Zhilkin | 200 m individual medley |
Vladislav Grinev Kliment Kolesnikov Andrey Minakov Vladimir Morozov |
4 × 100 m freestyle relay |
Ivan Girev Martin Malyutin Aleksandr Krasnykh Alexander Shchegolev |
4 × 200 m freestyle relay |
Kliment Kolesnikov Andrey Minakov Kirill Prigoda Evgeny Rylov |
4 × 100 m medley relay |
Women | |
Athlete | Event |
Evgenia Chikunova | 100 m breaststroke |
200 m breaststroke | |
Svetlana Chimrova | 100 m butterfly |
Anna Egorova | 400 m freestyle |
800 m freestyle | |
Anastasia Fesikova | 100 m backstroke |
Maria Kameneva | 50 m freestyle |
100 m freestyle | |
100 m backstroke | |
Anastasiya Kirpichnikova | 400 m freestyle |
800 m freestyle | |
Arina Surkova | 50 m freestyle |
100 m butterfly | |
Maria Temnikova | 200 m breaststroke |
Daria Ustinova | 200 m backstroke |
Yuliya Yefimova | 100 m breaststroke |
Maria Kameneva Elizaveta Klevanovich Arina Surkova Daria S Ustinova |
4 × 100 m freestyle relay |
Veronika Andrusenko Anna Egorova Anastasiya Kirpichnikova Valeriya Salamatina |
4 × 200 m freestyle relay |
Anastasia Fesikova Maria Kameneva Arina Surkova Yuliya Yefimova |
4 × 100 m medley relay |
Fun fact – US invaded Russia in a joint Archangelisk & Vladivostok mission in 1918-20 . I think it was not a success.
Makes a lot of sense given the small time difference between Vladivostok and Tokyo, not to mention the short travel distance.
That’s a dream team of a men’s 400 free relay right there – 4 guys who can do a 47.XX from a flat start and go 47 low or better on a relay start. Russia wins this as long as Kolesnikov recovers from the 100 back semifinal fine. I expect Held and Apple to swim solid legs, but if Dressel and the Pieroni/Rooney/Adrian leg both go 47 mid, then that would be doom for the US relay.