Lilly King, the American who won the 100-meter breaststroke Monday night by beating a Russian swimmer she had earlier criticized for doping, said one of the U.S.’s top track sprinters should be disqualified because of prior drug bans.  In a post-race news conference, King was asked whether she thought Justin Gatlin, the top U.S. sprinter, should be allowed to compete despite serving two drug suspensions.  “I have to respect their decision even if it’s not something that I necessarily agree with. Now, do I think people who have been caught for doping offenses should be on the team? No. They shouldn’t.  “It’s unfortunate that we have to see that and that it’s such a toss-up in between sports and in between countries. It’s just something that needs to be set in stone that this is what we’re going to do to settle this, and that should be the end of it. There should not be any bouncing back and forth.”  The 19-year-old from Evansville, Ind., has been outspoken in her feelings about Yulia Efimova’s late inclusion in the Olympics. She said Sunday it was “unfortunate that we have to deal with these things in this sport,” and that she accepted but disagreed with the ruling allowing Efimova to swim. “A level playing field would be preferred,” she said.  Efimova, speaking with tears in her eyes at the tense news conference, acknowledged that she had made a past mistake. Efimova tested positive for a banned prescription steroid in October 2013 and was suspended 16 months, until February 2015.  But she suggested that King had been caught up by anti-Russian propaganda.  “It used to always be that all athletes were outside politics,” said Efimova, who won the silver medal Monday. “And I’m very sad that now, many athletes don’t understand this and simply watch TV and believe everything that is written and shown on TV...They don’t try and trade places with me and understand what I feel now.”  Efimova initially was banned from the Olympics after an investigation for the World Anti-Doping Agency detailed state-sponsored cheating in Russia and the International Olympic Committee barred Russian athletes who had served prior drug bans.  Efimova appealed, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport last Thursday ruled the IOC’s Olympic ban “unenforceable.”  Gatlin, 34, is the U.S. Olympic trials champion in the 100 meters and in recent years has enjoyed a resurgence, clocking the fastest time in the world last year in 9.74 seconds, a new personal record. He has been a controversial figure in track and field after serving a four-year ban between 2006 and 2010 after testing positive for excessive testosterone. Gatlin has said he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs but since returning to the sport has maintained that he served his time as imposed by sport authorities and should be allowed to compete.  Prior to his 2006 infraction, Gatlin tested positive for amphetamines while in college but appealed his sanction, showing the result came from medication for attention deficit disorder.  On Tuesday morning, USA Track & Field pointed to remarks by chief executive Max Siegel in July: “In the United States, it is a matter of law. If you are not under a ban, regardless of what you may have served in the past, you are fully eligible to be on the team.”  Gatlin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.  —Anton Troianovski and Sara Germano contributed to this story  Write to Rachel Bachman at rachel.bachman@wsj.com
Gold-medal swimmer Lilly King thinks all athletes with prior drug bans shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Olympics, including U.S. track star Justin Gatlin.