A day after calling Efimova out for doping, she backed up her words with a spectacular performance in the pool.
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After the race, King twice threw shade at Yefimova, though she did so in a subdued way. But King did not dodge questions about the Russian competitor, and made it clear she thinks rules should be followed.
“You’re shaking your finger ‘No”. But really, the take away shouldn’t be that King beat Yulia in this event. “I’m not a fan”, King said. I wasn’t in my best form. “I’m going to go swim my heart out for U.S. and hopefully that turns out the best”.
The streak continued Monday night, as Ryan Murphy cruised to an Olympic record of 51.97 seconds.
“I’m just happy for the U.S. 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.
US athlete Lily King has earned the gold medal in the 100-meter-breaststroke event in the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeating her biggest rival, Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova.
Yet there she was in the pool, trying desperately to overcome King’s early lead.
She added, “If that’s what she feels she needs to be able to compete, whatever, that’s her deal”. Because she has lived in the USA, she has been a part of American drug testing.
Michael Phelps has seen the same kind of thing.
Outrage was growing in Rio on Tuesday over a medal-winning Russian athlete with a history of doping. “I basically said what everybody else was thinking so they (other swimmers) were glad I spoke out and had the guts to say that”.
Anway, I think it could be possible Yulia Efimova is really just Dee testing out a new character!
“I think it just breaks what sport is meant to be and that pisses me off”.
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. “But if she was wishing to be congratulated, I apologize to her”. Efimova came in 0.53 seconds after King to claim the silver. Efimova, 24, who was loudly booed by spectators before the race, was only given permission to compete in the Games after appealing against a suspension.
That didn’t sit well with King, who doesn’t compromise on the issue. She composed herself enough to attend the medal winner’s press conference but struggled to hold back tears as she was grilled about doping.
But doping expert Thomas Hoberman, who is based at the University of Texas, believed the International Olympic Committee chose not to ban the entire Russian team entire team because Russian President Vladimir Putin spent more than $50 billion on the Sochi Olympics, a record amount. “It should be set in stone”.
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And that’s something to wag a finger about.
