Fair play to Lily King for speaking, and acting, so honestly.
The 19-year-old American swimmer stormed to Olympic gold, last night, as she reached the wall first in the Women’s 100-metre Breaststroke final.
King spoke out about having to compete against Russia’s Yulia Efimova – banned twice for substance abuse – in these Olympic games before the final showdown. She insisted that Efimova, who was given a reprieve (from a March ban) to race, should not be in Rio.
She set out to claim Olympic glory and deny the former 50m and 200m breaststroke world champion gold. King did it in style, claiming a world record in the process.
Following the race, she refused to shake the Russian’s hand but did stop to congratulate her other, beaten competitors. King and USA teammate Katie Meli did share a podium, and pictures, with Efimova but both steered clear as soon as the official ceremony concluded.
Speaking to reporters after the race, King declared:
“I’m just happy for the USA to know I am competing clean and doing what is right.
“There was a lot of pressure obviously, just going in there. Pressure on me because I was saying what I believe is right. I felt I had to perform better than I did in the past.”
On the handshake sub, she said, “If I was in Yulia’s position I would not want to be congratulated by someone who was criticising me.”
Asked for her thoughts about competing under the same flag, and on the same team as past drug cheats Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay, King did not waiver. She replied:
“I think people who are caught on doping offences should not be on the team. No they shouldn’t. We should settle this and it should be the end of it. There should not be any bouncing back and forth.”
Stirring stuff from the teenager.
