American sprinter Justin Gatlin is trying to focus on the 100 meters, but his attention was diverted Wednesday, thanks to American swimmer Lilly King.

King, who has had a running feud with convicted doper Yulia Efimova, a Russian swimmer, has said suspended drug users should not be allowed to compete in the Olympics, and that includes her fellow American, Gatlin.

Gatlin fired back, saying he’s served his ban and isn’t paying attention to those who say he shouldn’t be competing at the Olympics.

Gatlin said he’s dealt with his punishment and moved forward.

Gatlin says that’s what it is — the past.

He was reinstated in 2010 after a four-year ban and will take to the track Saturday to begin competition in the men’s 100 meters. Gatlin is considered the biggest threat to world record-holder Usain Bolt.

Oscar winners

The US women’s rugby team’s consolation prize after missing the podium in Rio was better than all right, all right, all right.’’

The fifth-place Americans completed their post-Olympics debriefing meeting and went to a hotel bar to enjoy some passionfruit caipirinhas, Brazil’s national drink.

In walked Matthew McConaughey, who was spotted at rugby matches earlier in the week. The actor posed for pictures with members of the team, said a few encouraging words, and even told the team the origin of his signature saying from the movie ‘‘Dazed and Confused.’’

‘‘I think we'll remember that one,’’ said US rugby player Alev Kelter.

Although the Americans would have preferred to leave Rio with a medal, enjoying fruity drinks with an Academy Award winner makes for a pretty solid Olympic experience.

Not too shammy

If you’ve ever seen the commercials for “ShamWow!’’ you’ve watched people use the small orange shammies to dry off boats, wipe off cars, and even soak up unrealistic amounts of spilled soda.

But shammies also are crucial pieces of equipment in the world of diving.

The tiny towels are made of rayon or poly-vinyl, can hold up to 10 times their weight in liquid, and quickly dry after being rung out.

In the early days, shammies were made of chamois skin — hence the name — from an animal similar to a goat that’s found in Europe and western Asia. Shammies first became popular after Europeans used the small towels in diving competitions in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Soon after, the towels were made of synthetic material.

In many diving positions (such as pikes and tucks), divers need to hold on to their legs. If a divers’ hands or legs are wet, it can be easy to lose grip. If a diver loses his or her grip, a dive quickly goes awry and valuable points are lost. To solve the problem, divers use shammies to dry off between dives. Many divers consider their shammies to be like security blankets.

Shammies are affordable, as well, running from $5-$20 on swimming gear websites.

Not a bad investment when the payoff could be Olympic gold.

Swimmer insulted

Even Olympians can’t escape body-shaming.

Robel Kiros Habte swam in the men’s 100-meter freestyle heats on Tuesday and finished last in the three-swimmer heat. In one of the more charitable comments, someone said he had a “dad bod.’’

He also finished last overall among the 59 competitors in the eight heats with a time of 1 minute, 4.95 seconds. Habte confessed that his personal best was 59.08 seconds, while Australia’s Kyle Chalmers had the best time of the heats at 47.9 seconds.

An Ethiopian news site called him ‘‘out of shape.’’ Others called him ‘‘Robel the Whale.’’ Habte is 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 179 pounds. Chalmers, in comparison, is 6-4, 194.

Some noted that Habte is the son of the president of the country’s swimming federation.

‘‘I wanted to do something different for my country, that’s why I chose swimming,’’ the 24-year-old college student told Reuters. ‘‘Everybody, every day you wake up in Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn’t want to run, I wanted to be a swimmer. It didn’t matter where I finished.’’

A heartfelt apology

Gymnast Gabby Douglas said she ‘‘meant no disrespect’’ and apologized after she was peppered with critical tweets when, unlike the rest of the Final Five after their golden performance, she did not place her hand over her heart as she stood at attention during the American national anthem.

‘‘In response to a few tweets I saw tonight, I always stand at attention out of respect for our country whenever the national anthem is played,’’ Douglas tweeted, in part.

‘‘I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone. I’m so overwhelmed at what our team accomplished today and overjoyed that we were able to bring home another gold for our country!’’

There are no team rules for podium behavior, other than standing at attention and looking at the flag and Douglas is not the first US gold-medal winner to not place her hand over her heart.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Emily McCarthy can be reached at emily.mccarthy@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilymccahthy.