Indiana University’s Lilly King swam her way into the history books Monday, taking the gold medal and setting a new Olympic record in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke.
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King, 19, had strong words for both her rival-Russia’s Yulia Efimova, who finished second in the 100-meter race-and for fellow USA athletes.
“It’s never nice”, said the Lithuanian of competing against a swimmer who has twice tested positive – the second time for meldonium, which officials ruled she could have taken before it was banned in January.
On Sunday King was seen wagging her finger at a TV in condemnation of a “No 1” gesture by Efimova after the Russian won her semi-final.
After giving Efimova a finger wag as she watched her Russian counterpart celebrate her heat victory, King became an overnight sensation as a precocious young swimmer eager to take a stand against doping in her sport.
“You wave your finger “No. 1″ and you’ve been caught drug cheating”.
“I’m just happy for the US to know I am competing clean and doing what is right”, King, 19, said during that same conference.
The inclusion of Gatlin – along with his Team USA colleague Tyson Gay – has been controversial given the pair have seen their reputations destroyed by doping charges, and despite featuring in the same United States team, King believes they have no place at the Olympics due to their tainted past.
While King and Miele celebrated, Efimova, 24, – who is also entered in the 200m breaststroke – hung on her lane rope before departing the pool deck alone.
She had previously been banned for testing positive for steroids.
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a seven-time Olympic swimming medalist competing in Rio, serves on the International Olympic Committee’s athletes’ commission. Normally, a second doping offense is grounds for a lifetime ban.
Efimova told reporters on Monday she had not slept for weeks because of the stress of not knowing whether or not she would be able to swim in Rio. I don’t understand what is happening there.
“I’m actually glad I made a statement, and I ended up coming out on top in the race”. (She served a 16-month suspension for dope use that ended in 2015.) But it was mysteriously announced last Saturday that she would be defending her title – and King had more than a little to say about that. “No I don’t”, she said. “I think people who are caught on doping offences should not be on the team”.
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“I think it just breaks what sport is meant to be and that pisses me off”.
