After all the bad blood, all the debate over Yulia Efimova being allowed to swim at the Olympics, Lilly King was the one wearing gold.
The American won the 100-meter breaststroke on Monday night, holding off the reigning world champion from Russia in what some will surely call a victory of clean athletes over the dopers.
Efimova arrived in Rio as one of the symbols of the massive Russian doping scandal, an athlete who had already served a 16-month suspension and tested positive again this year for the now-banned substance meldonium.
Efimova was initially banned from the Olympics, but that decision was overturned on appeal. King took umbrage at Efimova's finger wag during the semifinals and said she intended "to compete clean for the U.S."
After staring down Efimova in the ready room and giving her a look of disdain on deck, King led all the way to take the gold with an Olympic-record time of 1 minute, 4.93 seconds.
Efimova, who heard a round of boos and a few cheers during the introductions, settled for the silver in 1:05.50. The bronze went to another American, Katie Meili.
"I really don't know how I even reached the final ... it would have really been the end of a fairy tale, a horrible dream, if I'd won gold," Efimova said after the race, her face red from crying. "But that was all I could do right now."
King didn't acknowledge Efimova during a raucous victory celebration. Finally, as the two were picking up their credentials at the side of the deck, King gave her rival a quick pat on the shoulder.
"It just proves you can compete clean and still come out on top with all the hard work you put in behind the scenes, behind the meet, at practice and weight sessions," King said. "There is a way to become the best and do it the right way."
In other women's swimming action, Hungary's Katinka Hosszu won the 100-meter backstroke, adding to her world-record victory in the 400 individual medley.
Hosszu didn't set a world record in the back, but her time of 58.45 seconds was good enough for a second gold.
Kathleen Baker of the United States settled for the silver in 58.75, and Canada's Kylie Masse and China's Yuanhui Fu tied for the bronze in 58.76.
Hosszu, whose "Iron Lady" nickname comes from her grueling schedule, sat up on the lane rope and made a heart sign in the direction of her coach and husband, Shane Tusup.
In the women's 200-meter freestyle, Missy Franklin, one of the United States' top swimming stars at the 2012 Olympics, endured another stunning disappointment, failing to even make the final.
Franklin finished last in her semifinal heat with only the 13th-fastest time among 16 swimmers.
"I gave it everything I had but it just wasn't there," a tear-filled Franklin told reporters shortly after the race. "I just need to keep my head up and keep doing everything I can to be the best I can be."
Franklin touched in 1 minute, 57.56 seconds, which was actually slower than her time in the afternoon preliminaries.
As a bubbly, 17-year-old high schooler, Franklin won four golds and a bronze at the London Games. But she has endured a mystifying loss of form since turning pro last summer, struggling just to qualify for two individual events and a relay at the U.S. trials.
In 2012, Franklin competed in seven Olympic events. Now, all she has left is the 200 backstroke and a likely spot on the 4x200 free relay team.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.