Latest news with #LillyKing
New York Times
03-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Lilly King, U.S. star who finger-wagged to Olympic gold in Rio, says farewell to swimming
Lilly King, the American who made a finger-waving star turn at the 2016 Rio Olympics, swam the last individual race of her career Sunday on the final day of swimming's world championships, finishing fifth in the women's 50-meter breaststroke final. In the second of eight finals to wrap up the swimming program of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, King was in the medal mix for most of the one-length sprint, touching in 30.25 seconds. But it wasn't quite enough to get on the podium. Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte won in 29.55, with China's Qianting Tang earning silver in 30.03. Benedetta Pilato of Italy took bronze in 30.14. Advertisement King may still be called into relay duty later Sunday, but she has said this is the final meet of her career. King's rivalry with Russia's Yulia Efimova was one of the highlights of the 2016 Games. After posting the top time in the qualifying round of the 100-meter breaststroke, just one-hundredth of a second faster than Efimova, King waved a finger in the pool to signal her place atop the standings. Efimova, the reigning world champion at the time, then did the same gesture after winning her semifinal later. As King, 19 years old at the time, waited in the ready room to go out for the second semifinal, cameras caught her watching Efimova on a monitor and waving the finger back. King then won her semifinal with a better time than Efimova's and once again wagged the finger in the pool. There was more than just bravado in the finger wagging. Efimova had faced multiple doping suspensions in the years leading up to the Rio Games, and the gesture was King's way of providing some commentary — her 'Lilly-ness,' as she calls it, coming out. 'You've been caught for drug cheating,' King said in an interview with NBC after those prelims, referring to Efimova. 'I'm just not a fan.' That set up a much-anticipated showdown between the two in the final, which King won with a strong late surge to set what was then an Olympic record of 1:04.93 and win gold. Of the ready-room incident, King said years later, 'I was just making fun of her; I didn't know I was getting filmed. I was just joking around, not being too serious, but yes, I was ready to kick her butt.' Her outspoken nature and electric talent made her a hit with U.S. fans. She went on to win silver in the 200-meter at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and bronze in the 100-meter. She also has three 4×100-meter medley relay golds across three Games, from Rio to last summer in Paris. She told Peacock on Sunday that she hopes that her confidence resonates with others as she leaves the sport. Advertisement 'Don't be afraid to trust yourself, to be yourself, to sometimes say the wrong thing,' she said. 'Just be the confident swimmer that you are. You know you put in the work. I hope I left the sport better than I found it.' King, now 28, is still the world-record holder in the 100-meter. She set that at the 2017 world championships with a time of 1:04.13, which she called 'probably my favorite race.' In other finals Sunday, Australian Meg Harris won gold in the women's 50-meter freestyle in 24.02. China took the silver and bronze spots with Qingfeng Wu (24.26) and Yujie Cheng (24.28). American Gretchen Walsh just missed her third individual medal of these championships, finishing fourth. Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi won his second gold medal of the week, finishing in 14:34.41 to take the men's 1,500-meter freestyle to go along with his 800-meter title. Germany's Sven Schwarz took silver in 14:35.69. American Bobby Finke, the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in the event and one of many Americans affected by a stomach illness this week, secured bronze in 14:36.69. 'This week's been quite a whirlwind,' Finke said on Peacock after the race. 'I'm disappointed with my results, but that's on me. I just gotta do better next year.' In the men's 50-meter backstroke, Kliment Kolesnikov, a Russian competing as a neutral athlete, set a world championship record to win in 23.68. South Africa's Pieter Coetze and Pavel Samusenko, also a Russian competing as a neutral athlete, tied for silver in 24.17. There were four finals still to come — men's and women's 400-meter individual medleys, and the men's and women's 4×100-meter medley relays.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lilly King places second in 100-meter U.S. Swimming Championships
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – Evansville native Lilly King was back in the pool for her final competitive swimming season, and she did not disappoint. After winning the 50-meter breaststroke final in Indianapolis, King finished second in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:06.02. King qualified for the World Championships in Singapore next month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NBC Sports
06-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
King remains dominant in 50m breaststroke
Lilly King continued to stake her claim to the women's 50m breaststroke, winning in 29.88 seconds at the U.S. Swimming Championships.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indianapolis to host US Olympic swimming trials again in 2028 after last year's record run
FILE - Lilly King, of the United States, competes in the women's 100-meter breaststroke semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 28, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The 2028 U.S. Olympic swimming trials will return to Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium after drawing record-breaking crowds last year in the first event held inside a football stadium. USA Swimming officials made the announcement Tuesday in Indianapolis where this year's national championships are being held this week. Dates for the event have not yet been announced. Advertisement Organizers intend to build three temporary pools on top of the NFL's Colts' home field — a 50-meter competition pool and two warm-up pools. The Indiana Convention Center, which is connected to the stadium, will host USA Swimming's Toyota Aqua Zone. Last year, more than 285,000 fans attended the nine-day trials. That was a 60% increase over previous events. Single session records also were shattered as television ratings increased 20% from the previous team trials in 2021. Organizers estimated the event helped generate $132 million in revenue for the city. The 2024 trials also won the annual Fan Engagement Award and were a finalist for Sports Business Journal's event of the year. Indianapolis has a long and storied history with the Olympic swimming trials. The 2028 trials will mark the eighth time the city has hosted the event since 1924 when Johnny Weissmuller and Duke Kahanamoku were the stars. Advertisement Other familiar names who qualified for the U.S. Olympic teams include Amanda Beard, Janet Evans, Rowdy Gaines, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps, Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres. The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles and could again feature the brother-sister duo of Alex and Aaron Shackell, who swam for nearby Carmel High School. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Olympic champion Lilly King will swim final US meet at IU Natatorium in Indianapolis
Six-time Olympic swimming medalist Lilly King announced on Instagram that she will retire after this season. King, an Evansville native who won NCAA titles while at Indiana University, said in her announcement that she "accomplished everything I have ever wanted in this sport. I feel fulfilled." Advertisement King's final meet on U.S. soil will be the Toyota National Championships at IU Natatorium. The event will be held in Indianapolis, June 3-7. "I have been racing in the IU Natatorium since I was 10 years old," King said. "From state meets, to NCAAs, Nationals, and anything in between, this pool has been my home. I didn't quite make it 20 years (only 18) of racing in Indy, but this is as close as I'm going to get! I look forward to racing in front of a home crowd one last time." King won three gold medals at the 2016 and 2024 Olympics. She also has two silver medals and a bronze medal from the 2020 games. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, King helped the women's 4x100-meter medley relay set a world record of 3:49.63 in the final event. In June 2024, King announced that the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials would be her final time competing in such an event. According to a report from the Indianapolis Business Journal, the 2028 U.S. Swim Trials will return to Lucas Oil Stadium, but King will not compete at the event. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lilly King will swim final US meet at IU Natatorium in Indianapolis
