The best rivalry in swimming was re-ignited at World Championships through a finger-wag, ruthless stare-down, and world record

pulse

July 25, 2017 8:56 PM

Lilly King and Yulia Efimova re-ignited their rivalry at world championships through finger-wags, world records, and some stare-downs.

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The best rivalry in swimming is back on.

At Rio 2016, U.S. swimmer Lilly King and Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova became a must-watch matchup after a back-and-forth during the preliminary heats for the 100-meter breaststroke.

Efimova was suspended for doping in 2014 and later tested positive for meldonium but was not suspended because she said she stopped taking it before it became a banned substance.

After Efimova took first in her prelim in Rio, she held up her finger to say she's No. 1. King, who was awaiting her own heat, was caught on camera wagging her finger at Efimova on TV.

Later, after King won her trial, she once again wagged her finger, then said after the race, "

Efimova took first in a preliminary heat for the 100m breaststroke, missing the world record by .01 seconds on Monday. Afterward, she turned to the crowd and wagged her finger, an obvious nod to King. King later told reporters, "

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