But the real BOOM of the night came from 19-year-old Lilly King, who is now seated first in the 100 breaststroke, after her absurdly fast semi-final swim.
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King, referring to the storm of controversy over her comments, said: “It’s been a little overwhelming to be honest, but you know I’m still just trying to get off my phone a little bit and focus on my race and see what happens after that”.
When asked if USA athletes who have fallen foul of the drug testers, such as sprinters Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay, deserved to be in Rio, King, 19, pulled no punches.
“Again, I have to respect [the International Olympic Committee’s] decision, even if it’s not something I necessarily agree with”.
Gatlin, the 100-meter dash champion at the Athens Olympics, served a four-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance in 2006.
So when Lilly told me that she would “for sure” win a medal in Rio, I believed her. “There should be no bouncing back and forth”.
“I’m actually glad I made a statement, and I ended up coming out on top in the race”.
A furious war of words over drugs is threatening to wreck the Olympic spirit of Rio 2016.
Efimova tested positive for steroids in 2013 and was subsequently banned for 16 months.
Booed before the race, Efimova broke down in tears after winning silver and King tore her to shreds in the post-race press conference.
You’re not supposed to train at a plain old city pool, like Lloyd Pool in Evansville, because state high school rules require you train with your team three months a year. She won just after teammate Ryan Murphy netted his own gold medal and Olympic record in the men’s backstroke.
Donetta Cothran had a question for her colleagues in the School of Public Health after Sunday night’s Olympic breaststroke semifinal.
“It’s not unusual for someone to melt down, and that’s why we practice”, Cothran said.
King’s stand is not going unappreciated, partially because it seems to come from a genuine place. “But that was all I could do right now”.
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King, on the other hand, proudly proclaimed Monday night after her victory, “It’s incredible, just winning a gold medal, and knowing I did it clean”. As recently as March this year, she was found with meldonium in her system – the same drug that saw Maria Sharapova banned from tennis for two years – but was allowed to compete after an appeal.
