Martin Rogers

USA TODAY Sports

RIO DE JANEIRO — Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, who became the villain of the Rio Olympics swimming competition, took a parting shot at fierce rival Lilly King on Saturday night, insisting the American 19-year-old was immature and had turned the event into “a war.”

As the swimming schedule came to a close, Efimova told USA TODAY Sports how the past nine days have been a personal “nightmare” as the bad blood between the American and Russian camps escalated.

USA wins gold in women's 4x100 medley relay for milestone medal

“It was war,” said Efimova, who stood in a corner of the interview zone after initially snubbing media requests. “It was like a nightmare. This completion (of the program) is a relief because I love racing, but this was more like a war. It was awful. She is young, but she should understand more.”

Efimova perhaps had the final say in her personal battle with King, clocking a time more than a second ahead during the breaststroke portion of the 4x100-meter medley relay, the final women’s event. However, the U.S. team proved to be too strong overall, winning gold in convincing fashion ahead of Australia and Denmark. Russia placed sixth.

Earlier in the meet, King repeatedly asserted that Efimova should not have been allowed to compete as she had previously been banned for doping. Efimova was mentioned in a World Anti-Doping Agency report into Russian state-sponsored doping and had been excluded from the Games until gaining a late reprieve.

“She never talked with me,” Efimova said of King. “She said many things in the press conference, but nothing at all to me.”

Efimova has lived and trained in Southern California for the past five years, but the reaction she received from the American swimming public has caused her to reconsider. On several occasions during the schedule, she was booed as she entered the pool deck.

The silver medalist in the 100 breaststroke, where she was defeated by King, Efimova claimed that singling out Russia for criticism over doping was unfair, despite the extraordinary extent of the Russian doping system that threatened the very integrity of the Games.

“Why are they discussing only Russians, not another country?” she said. “I mean, it is not only Russia.

“(King) is young. She doesn’t know sometimes how life is going on. I hope that she changes, changes her mind and everything.”

Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @mrogersUSAT.