American swimmer Lilly King doubled down connected disapproval of Russian athletes hours aft the president of the Russian Olympic Committee said his teams' medals are the "best answer" to critics who questioned wherefore the state is allowed to vie following doping scandals.
"There are a batch of radical present that should not beryllium here," said King, who won a metallic and a bronze medal successful Tokyo.
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King made her statements seated adjacent to Ryan Murphy, different US swimmer who seemed to instrumentality purpose this week astatine a state that has repeatedly tally afoul of doping rules.
Murphy aboriginal said his comments weren't aimed astatine the Russians specifically. King was much direct.
"I wasn't racing anyone from a state who should person been banned and alternatively got a slap connected the wrist and rebranded their nationalist flag," she said. "So, I personally wasn't arsenic affected. But Ryan was."
Her comments came hours aft ROC president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said critics "supposed that arsenic a substance of information our athletes can't vie without doping," but that Russian athletes successful Tokyo "proved the other not conscionable with words but with their deeds and results."
Russia was revealed to person launched a massive, state-sponsored programme to elude testers up of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. It has sent depleted squads to the past 2 Olympics arsenic punishment.
The country's name, emblem and anthem person been banned from the Olympics and different large sports events pursuing a ineligible conflict with the World Anti-Doping Agency. After competing nether the moniker OAR — Olympic Athletes From Russia — astatine the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, it has competed arsenic the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) successful Japan.
Russian athletes person won 40 medals successful Tokyo, 11 of them gold.
Murphy bemoaned Friday that his races were "probably not clean" aft taking the metallic medal down Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov successful the 200-metre backstroke. That came 3 days aft helium finished down Rylov and different Russian, Kliment Kolesnikov, successful the 100 back.
He said Saturday the remark wasn't targeted astatine Rylov but was alternatively intended to code suspicions of doping passim the sport.
"I deliberation things were definitely, they were decidedly taken a small spot otherwise than what the question I was asked intended," helium said. "I was asked a question astir doping and swimming and I answered honestly. I bash deliberation there's doping successful swimming."
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