King could not have looked more thrilled, leaving Efimova to rail against inaccurate perceptions from her fellow competitors, the mixing of politics and sport, why her doping “mistake” should be forgiven and the “unfair” treatment of Russian athletes. I’m just not a fan.
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And on Day 3, the 19-year-old American let her swimming do the talking.
“If I’d been in Yulia’s position, I’d not want to be congratulated by someone not speaking highly of me,”, King said, adding, “If she was wishing to be congratulated, I apologize.
“I’m actually glad I made a statement, and I ended up coming out on top in the race”, she said.
For King and Meilli, the result set off a celebration that King would later cite as part of the reason she didn’t make a point to congratulate Efimova.
The Russian was in tears after the race.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Monday it was a shame the Court of Arbitration for Sport wasn’t “tougher on doping”, but that Olympics officials have no choice but to accept the decision. Neither did another swimmer who has won more Olympic medals than anyone while competing clean.
Along with the crowd’s reception for Efimova Monday, the previous day cheers in the aquatic center abruptly morphed to a bassy “boooooo” as Russians Andrey Grechin, Danila Izotov, Vladimir Morozov and Alexander Sukhorukov followed the Americans into the arena and shed their warmups.
“Tonight has been so insane”.
King didn’t think that was right. “They can’t imagine what it would feel like if they swapped places with me”.
“I’m probably going to start crying”. They shouldn’t. It is unfortunate we have to see that. Gay was suspended for a year beginning in 2013 after testing positive for a banned substance. “But I was so exhausted that I told the Hungarians before the race that I could get anything from first place to eighth place”.
“I am just happy to be here”.
King, a 19-year-old first-time Olympian, had made it clear she didn’t think Efimova belonged in the pool after serving a 16-month ban in the wake of a 2013 positive test and a positive test this year for meldonium.
Efimova was asked whether she regrets competing in the Olympics, given the boos that greeted her name in Rio.
But Efimova was far from the only controversial athlete to attract attention on another dramatic night in the pool.
China’s Sun Yang claimed gold in the men’s 200m freestyle after edging out South Africa’s Chad le Clos in a thrilling contest.
Australian freestyler Mack Horton also was mad and he decided he was not going to take it anymore.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, in contrast, can not stop winning, adding the 100m backstoke title to her gold in the 400m medley.
Ryan Murphy gave the US a second gold on the night, extending America’s run of dominance in the men’s 100m backstroke, coming from fourth at the turn to win in an Olympic record of 51.97sec and become the sixth straight US Olympic champion. The second time it was not my mistake.
Murphy’s success means the United States has now won six consecutive gold medals in the event.
Teammate David Plummer was also in the medals – he took bronze, with China’s Xu Jiayu claiming silver.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu powered to her second gold medal of the Games after winning the 100m backstroke.
Hosszu, the 400m individual medley victor, pipped America’s Kathleen Baker.
American Kathleen Baker was second in 58.75, just one one-hundredth of a second in front of China’s Fu Yuanhui and Canadian Kylie Masse, who shared bronze in 58.76. There she was on the medal stand, with the silver medal hanging around her neck.
Michael Phelps has seen the same kind of thing.
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Efimova, the Russian who has been sanctioned for cheating, trailed just behind King at the finishing line and narrowly edged King’s teammate, Katie Meili, who won bronze.
