Swimming - King breaks world record to win Efimova grudge match

Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100m Breaststroke Final – Budapest, Hungary – July 25, 2017 – Lilly King of the U.S. reacts after winning the race and breaking the world record. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Lilly King of the United States powered to the women's 100 metres breaststroke world title in world record time and emphatically won her grudge match with Russian Yuliya Efimova on Tuesday.

King posted one minute 4.13 seconds to hold off Efimova in a repeat of their acrimonious Olympic final and eclipse the world mark set by Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte in 2013.

Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100m Breaststroke awarding ceremony – Budapest, Hungary – July 25, 2017 – Lilly King (gold) of the U.S. poses with the medal. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

"That race was always going to be a showdown, an exciting dog fight," King told reporters.

"We get a lot of rivalries like this in football, basketball, swimming where we see a lot of really nice people, being really nice," she added.

"That’s great and all but it’s not my personality. I’m spunky, I’m confident and I’m not going to not be myself before a race."

Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100m Breaststroke Final – Budapest, Hungary – July 25, 2017 – Lilly King of the U.S. reacts after winning the race and breaking the world record. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

The U.S. secured a memorable one-two as Katie Meili touched for silver in one minute 05.03 seconds.

King, 20, has voiced her disapproval that Efimova is allowed to compete at global level after the Russian was twice caught using banned substances.

The spiky relationship continued in Budapest as King celebrated her victory wildly and did not exchange eye contact with Efimova who took bronze, 0.02 seconds behind Meili.

Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100m Breaststroke awarding ceremony – Budapest, Hungary – July 25, 2017 –(L-R) Katie Meili (silver) of the U.S., Lilly King (gold) of the U.S. and Yuliya Efimova (bronze) of Russia pose with the medals. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

King's strong first 50m set the tone and she easily held on to beat Meili by 0.90 seconds before the pair embraced warmly and Efimova was left to smile by herself.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)