Lilly King of the United States, who recently won the gold in that race ahead of the Russian, had overtly expressed her displeasure that Efimova had been allowed to participate despite being banned before for doping infractions.
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Race commentators described how King was “looking daggers at Efimova” and was “propelled by something special” as she fought attempts by the Russian to snatch victory after the 50m turn.
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. Her teammate Katie Meili won third at 1:05.69.
Phelps was full of admiration for his 19-year-old team mate.
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“Efimova has been through a very severe ordeal, and in an atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty I think she showed very strong character – resilience and focus – and so I think she deserved her medal”, said Salnikov.
Fast-forward to Monday night, and King and Yefimova were lined up next to each other in the 100m breaststroke final with a medal on the line.
“Lilly King takes gold over Russian drug cheat: ‘It’s incredible knowing I did it clean, ‘” Fox Sport reported, apparently forgetting that FINA found Efimova clean to compete.
“She has a long road to go in sport, I hope, and I think in the end she will understand there are certain rules, there’s a procedure that regulates the participation of athletes”. She claimed to have stopped using meldonium before it was prohibited, and she was able to compete after the International Swimming Federation reversed the ban. “I’m just not, you know, not a fan”. (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. Then, she wagged it from side-to-side in a clear diss. There she was on the medal stand, with the silver medal hanging around her neck.
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“We train fair”, she said. But she has also said that American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who tested positive for banned substances twice, as well, should not be allowed back in the Olympics, either.
