Lilia Vaygina-Efremova
Liliya Mykolajewna Wajhina - Jefremowa (Ukrainian Лілія Миколаївна Вайгіна - Єфремова, scientific transliteration Jefremova Liliya, Russian Лилия Николаевна Вайгина - Ефремова; born April 15, 1977 in Cheboksary, Chuvashia ) is a Russian- Belarusian- Ukrainian biathlete.
In its ongoing since 1999 international career Wajhina - Jefremowa get two single podium finishes in the World Cup, including a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics in the sprint. For this she won the Belarusian relay at a World Cup.
Career
Early years as a Russian athlete (1999-2002)
Jefremowa began in 1987 at the age of ten years with the biathlon. Her first start in the Biathlon World Cup, the highest class of their sport competition, dated from the 1999/2000 season, when she participated in Pokljuka on Sprint. Your thereat result, a 77th place among 91 starters, they improved a few days later, when she was 36 in another sprint and the points just missed. Also the fourth World Cup in Oberhof ended the then starting for Russia Athlete end highly successful because they Eighteenth in the sprint was surprising and thus gained her first World Cup points. The following persecution did not stop this placement and fell with six shooting errors back to the 42nd rank. In Antholz Jefremowa reached more points for the overall World Cup by enreihte in the sprint to rank 21 and in the pursuit on the 29th place. This good form, they also saved up to the 2000 European Championships in Zakopane, where she initially Sixteenth, in the pursuit of even tithe was in the sprint. However, the European Championships in biathlon have a lower priority, so did not start all the top runners there. In the 2000/ 01 season, the Russian got in late and collected at two World Cup starts no more points. But it took another very successful in the European championships, where she won two silver medals in season and persecution. In the pursuit they jumped clear as the only athlete and therefore improved by nineteen places compared to Sprint. The victory went to the German Katja Beer, they missed by 15 seconds. At about the same behind the German winner, the Russian squadron won silver. In this next Jefremowa the two world champions Olga Saizewa and Olga Romasko and Vice World Champion Natalia Sokolova went to the start. At the 2001 World Championships she reached in individual 27 rank with three penalties, but this was her only start at these World Championships.
In the 2001 /02 season Jefremowa did not prevail against their strong national competitors and has been nominated for either the World Cup or the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The latter finally tipped the scales to change the bandage towards Belarus, although she had previously brought again with the Russian squadron European Championship silver. In the other competitions that European Championships she did not come in the top ten.
A successful year for Belarus (2002-2003)
After the dressing change Jefremowa regularly came in the World Cup for use. As an eighth season at the first sprint in Östersund, Sweden, she placed the first time in the World Cup among the top 10. To this end, they missed on their first relay race in fourth just under the podium, with the Belarusian provided as the second runner for the only penalty. In the next World Cup stop in Pokljuka not followed up on the success of the World Cup opener, but they celebrated at the third station in Osrblije the first World Cup victory of the season. As a first leg Jefremowa had time only a single reloader needs. As one of the thirty hitherto most successful athletes of the season they could also attend the first mass start of their career, they finished as 29th and last of the classified starters in Oberhof. In subsequent competitions, the Belarusian frequently missed more World Cup points, but could continue to participate due to their good start to the season at the mass start, where you get several decent results and thus points. Also in the season she kept her power, there were after the season two additional podium finishes - a second and a third place - to book. Overall, they reached the overall World Cup good 34th place in the mass start discipline World Cup it was even 25, the season World Cup ended the White Russians in third place. Jefremowa also won at the European Championships in 2003 another medal, bronze in the relay, but did not they reported at the Summer Biathlon World Championships of the year at the start. In the same year joined the Belarusian due to disagreements with the coach for the association, the Ukraine this time she took on.
Unsuccessful first years in Ukraine (2003-2005)
In contrast to the Belarusian team, the team of Ukraine had at the start of the World Cup 2003/2004 still no squad that would podiums or even been victorious ripe. So the new team Jefremowas had placed in the World Cup 2002/ 03 only at the 14th rank of the national rankings. Accordingly, it was a success, as the Ukrainian relay at the first World Cup season on the ninth (and one place ahead of Belarus ) binned. Here, the newcomer had itself with the only two penalties prevented an even better result. In the second Sprint Hochfilzen Jefremowa collected the first World Cup points for the Ukraine, to it was in pursuit of Osrblije 24 was followed, no additional points, so that they could not keep the good result from last year's World Cup. In their second appearance at the World Championships the Ukrainian also missed a top-30 result, but they again reached at the European Championships several times they top ten. In the partially well occupied Summer Grand Prix competitions she succeeded, among other things, a seventh place.
The 2004/05 season began for Jefremowa even less successful. In the first seven World Cup stage it had no points in individual races, with the season they reached even a tenth. Only at the last World Cup before the World Championships, she came back in shape and was even Sprintelfte with two errors. In the ensuing persecution she fell with six misses while on the 30th place back, but received at least one other World Cup point. At the World Championships she missed in the individual as 31 just the points, in the remaining contests, however, clearly.
From the surprise success at the Olympics until today (2005-2009)
At the start of the World Cup 2005/2006 it looked for Jefremowa first again after an unsuccessful season from, although they again took 26 of the first season as tracking points. Surprisingly, followed in the third World Cup station, a third place in the sprint - her first solo podium in the World Cup - and the fifth place in the following persecution. In the other competitions they are not followed up on this success and only gained a few points, so they are not considered a favorite to their first Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006 traveled. However, where she won the bronze medal in the sprint, which also came as a surprise, but the Ukrainian benefited as the surprise winner Florence Baverel -Robert of the declining or ceasing snowfall benefited. In pursuit it fell back through three shooting errors to eighth place in the mass start, she was 17 in the remaining World Cups she managed another 12th place, overall they placed in the overall World Cup ranking 26 The following season failed her; with only four missions they did not reach a World Cup point.
In good form, Jefremowa showed, however, at the Summer Biathlon World Championships in 2007, where she was silver medalist only one second behind the winner had to Kaisa Mäkäräinen of Finland in roller ski sprint. In the World Cup, however, she managed again no top results, their best result was a 21th Place. At the European Championships in 2008, she won bronze in the individual after five -year break, their fifth European championship medal. In the 2008/2009 season she has succeeded so far two 22 ranks, according to her coach Yevgeny Kolupajew it weakens currently shooting.
Biathlon World Cup rankings
The table shows all placements (depending on the year, including hosting the Olympic Games and World Championships ).