Twitter reacts to Lilly King’s finger wag at Rio 2016
By Brad Weiss
Lilly King won her heat in the 100m breaststroke on Sunday, but it was her gesture to Russia’s Yulia Efimova that set the Twitter world on fire.
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During the first heat of the Women’s 100m Breaststroke, Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova took first place, earning a time of 1:05.72. After winning, cameras showed Efimova putting up her finger to say she was number one, much to the dismay of American swimmer Lilly King.
While watching the replay of the gesture from Efimova before she took to the pool for Heat 2, King wagged her finger back at Efimova. The finger wag was caught on camera, and King did not back down from why she did it.
Efimova was caught doping in March of 2013, and was actually intitially banned from competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, the International Olympic Committee reversed the ban, allowing Efimova to compete in the 100m breaststroke.
King went on to win her heat, beating Efimova’s time with a mark of 1:05.70. King was truly number one on the night, and the Twitter world exploded in favor of the young American.
The two swimmers will take to the pool on Monday night for the final of the 100m breaststroke. There is sure to be added tension throughout the race, and if King or Efimova do win, there may just be another finger wag in the cards.
The fact that Efimova is allowed to swim is a joke in itself, as she has been caught doping on numerous occasions. The 24-year-old finished seventh in the 100m breaststroke in the 2012 London Olympics, but she is likely to get a medal this time around.
For King, she is making her first appearance in the Olympics, and boy has she made her mark on these Games.