Russian swimmers Yulia Efimova and Nikita Lobintsev are taking an early look at the 2016 Olympic host city on a 12-day training trip to Rio de Janeiro, according to Brazilian media.
Globo.com reports that the duo landed in Rio last Sunday (January 24), and planned to train roughly 12 days in the Olympic host city.
Globo’s report says the two are accompanied by Efimova’s father and coach, Andrei Efimov.
Both Efimova and Lobintsev are veteran Russian Olympians, with experience at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Efimova won the bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke at the 2012 London Olympics. She’s also the former world record-holder in the 50 breaststroke and won the 100 breast at last summer’s World Championships.
Lobintsev won a silver medal with the Russian 4×200 free relay in Beijing in 2008, and then took home a bronze from London as part of the Russian 4×100 free relay.
Efimova and Lobintsev are part of the professional training group based out of USC in Los Angeles, California, and that’s where they’ll return to after their Rio stay, Globo reports. They are set to return to the United States on Friday.
The Globo piece also adds some color with quotes from the pair, who said they are focused mostly on training, but still hoping to enjoy the local culture. Efimova jokes about convincing the other two to accompany her out dancing (an unsuccessful endeavor as of the article’s publication), and Lobintsev says the city has lived up to high expectations put on it by the stories he’s heard from his friend Thiago Pereira, one of Brazil’s top international athletes.