Jefimova made history in Budapest last week when she won bronze in the women's 100m breaststroke, the first medal at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Estonia's history. In the 50m event, seven-time European junior champion Jefimova also finished in a respectable fifth.

"As a coach, I'm someone who hates losing more than I enjoy winning. I've been trying to fix that: often you win and it's great, but then you move on, while  the pain of losing lasts longer. But victories like that don't come every day, we'll definitely enjoy it today or tomorrow," Hein told ERR in Budapest after Jefimova's historic medal win.

Before the start of the World Championships in Budapest, Hein said there had been a number of question marks over Jefimova's standing and that her results in the run up were not particularly remarkable. Nevertheless, the young swimmer rose the occasion and went on to win the most important medal of her career so far.

"After the Olympics, Eneli and I took a long break. There were small setbacks all the time when we started training. With her, we are at the top level in the world, so we know that everything has to go according to plan in training for every hundred meters. When the setbacks come and you see that the training is not going the way it was before the previous titles, there is always a bit of uncertainty. But in the end, you can see it was in vain!" Hein said.

"The big plus is that she started competing in championships at such a young age. I've sort of drummed it into my whole group, and into her from a young age that the pool is the same length – in every race, you swim the same distance. Whether it's an Olympic final, a World Championship final or an Estonian Championship, it doesn't really make any difference, you're competing against yourself.Eneli has been able to take on these finals without any nerves," said Hein.

"Before every final I've told her whether she finishes first or eighth, I'm proud of her either way, so she doesn't have any pressure. We know she'll give his best in the final no matter what. So far, she hasn't come up short in a single final."

Hein, who was named Estonia's coach of the year for the first time in 2023 at the age of just 32, confirmed that Jefimova's potential had been clear to him from their very first meeting. "I had no doubts. Even before Eneli came to work with me, I could see that we had a real talent. As a young coach, I was already very optimistic and confident. I had it in my head from the start that we would swim for medals; one day win an Olympic gold medal and swim a world record. We've been training together for six years now and I've never had a doubt in my mind," he said.

However, Hein stressed that he does often disagree with Jefimova. "Parents who have children of that age, 13-17 years old, can especially relate. Since Eneli moved to Tallinn at such a young age, my role in her daily life has been much bigger than for my other athletes. The others go home after training and their parents take care of them, while I've had to keep a much closer eye on her: what she eats, where she goes, whether her studies are done. There was a lot of that when I was younger and inevitably there will be disagreements. Eneli is a very temperamental person, she has clear opinions and wishes, and I am also stubborn. But as Eneli's mother once told me, she already accepts me as a member of the family, and so there are bound to be disagreements," Hein said.

Jefimova's collaboration with Hein will continue until she finishes high school, after which Jefimova will continue her education at North Carolina State University. Their last competition together will be the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore next July, where they will also be looking to get a among the medals.

"We've known about it for quite a long time, so at the moment we're at peace with it and there is nothing to worry about. Obviously, as a coach, I would have dreamed of going through that journey like Michael Phelps or Adam Peaty did with his coach – to go from age 10 or 12 to the end of their career, but that option is not on the table at the moment. I'm relaxed about it," Hein said.

"Thanks also to Eneli, she's opened a lot of doors for me with this as well. I'm looking forward to the next phase of my career. I can't see myself continuing in Estonia at the moment. After Singapore, I will take a few months off and travel around the world to study with different teams and coaches and then I hope to start working abroad. There have already been some talks, but that's something for the distant future. In a world context, I'm seen as an expert in breaststroke," said Hein, 33.

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