Tokyo (AFP)
Russian Evgeny Rylov, who competes under a neutral flag due to his country's doping sanctions, confirmed his success in the 100m backstroke on Friday by winning the 200m backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics.
Rylov put an end to American domination over the distance with a time of 1 min 53 sec 27 / 100th, ahead of American Ryan Murphy (1: 54.15) and Briton Luke Greenbank (1: 54.72).
But Murphy, author of the same 100m / 200m double at the 2016 Rio Olympics, let his nervousness break through in the mixed zone, while the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended Russia from international competitions for two at the end of 2020. years while letting its athletes compete under the banner of the "Russian Olympic Committee" (ROC).
"I have about 15 thoughts, so 13 that would cause me quite a bit of trouble (...) It is a huge mental burden for me to swim all year round in a race that is probably not clean, but that's how it is, ”said Murphy, 26.
Referring to the decision of the CAS, much more lenient than the sanctions initially proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in the face of state doping organized in Russia, he added: "People who know a lot more about the situation have taken the decision they made ".
"It frustrates me, but (...) I cannot both train for the Olympics, at a very high level, and try to put pressure on the people who make the decisions to make them understand that they are taking the bad ones, ”he concluded.
Asked about the American's statements, Rylov, 2017 world champion and recent European record holder (1: 53.23), said "did not understand this allusion".
"If you look at my appearance and physiology, it's a rather strange hint. I'm very surprised to hear that," added the Ural swimmer.
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