U.S. Olympic swimmer Lilly King is a teenager from Indiana. She’s a gold medalist. And now she’s a new face of the Olympics anti-doping movement.
“She takes it (not cheating) very seriously,” King’s father Mark told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day.” “There were times she’d take a pass on a poppy seed bagel because she didn’t want to get popped on a drug test.”
King, 19, drew headlines after rival Yulia Efimova of Russia made a “No. 1” gesture with her finger after winning her breaststroke semifinal. King wagged her finger back and shook her head, and then proceeded to beat Efimova in the 100-meter breaststroke Monday at the Rio Olympics.
“She is outspoken about following the rules and doing it the right way,” King’s father Mark told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day.”
Russia has been accused of state-sponsored doping, and Efimova faced two bans for using performance-enhancing drugs before she was allowed to swim in Rio.
But King isn’t just upset with Efimova. She says others who have been caught doping, including Team USA athletes, shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Games. Her mother agrees.
“Whether they’re American or Russian, it doesn’t matter,” Ginny King told CNN. “Everybody should be judged on the same playing field … regardless of their nationality.”
The Kings, of Evansville, Indiana, now are focused on what’s next for their daughter and enjoying their Olympic experience.
“We are a live-in the-moment, day-to-day kind of people,” Mark said. “We’re also very much looking forward to the medley relay … when she swims with her teammates and proudly wears the stars and stripes on her cap.”