Lilly King locks up second Paris berth, gets engaged at US Olympic swimming trials

Kate Douglass waves to the crowd as Lilly King of the United States shows off her engageme
AFP

It was a big night for Lilly King in and out of the water at the US Olympic swimming trials, where she secured a second swim at the Paris Games, then got engaged.

King, the 100m breaststroke world record-holder who had already won the 100m to punch her ticket to Paris, delivered a battling final lap to finish second behind Kate Douglass in the 200m breaststroke on Thursday.

Moments later, her longtime boyfriend James Wells popped the question.

“Yes, yes!” a shocked King said after Wells sank to one knee and presented a ring, the couple hugging as cameras rolled.

“Oh gosh, I am so excited,” King said as they embraced. Later on the medal ceremony podium she showed off her ring to 20,000-plus fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, in her home state of Indiana.

King will race for the United States in both breaststroke events for a third straight games. She won the 100m title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but surrendered it in Tokyo to teammate Lydia Jacoby — who didn’t qualify to defend her title.

Authored by Afp via Breitbart June 20th 2024