'I don't feel broken tonight': Lilly King misses medal by .01 seconds in 100 breaststroke
NANTERRE, France – Lilly King was on top of the world, and on top of the podium, at the Rio Olympics eight years ago.
It is harder to stay there than get there. Yet one-hundredth of a second will not affect the iconic Hoosier’s swimming legacy.
King missed by .01 of becoming the second woman to win three Olympic medals in the 100-meter breaststroke, tying for fourth Monday night at Paris La Defense Arena.
The 27-year-old Indiana University graduate from Evansville has not won a global gold medal in her signature event since the 2019 World Championships.
She took bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then placed fourth at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. Now, fourth again.
She has held the world record of 1:04.13 since the 2017 worlds.
“I know this race happened three years ago, and it completely broke me,” she said. “And I don’t feel broken tonight.
“So it’s one where I’m really still proud of the work that I’ve put in and the girls I’ve been able to help in the sport and hopefully the influence I’ve been able to have on younger swimmers.”
At Tokyo, Lydia Jacoby was the surprise gold medalist, followed by Tatjana (Schoenmaker) Smith of South Africa and King.
Smith, also 27, won the gold this time in 1:05.28. China’s Tang Qianting was silver medalist in 1:05.54.
Ireland’s Mona McSharry took bronze in 1:05.59, or .01 ahead of King and Italy’s 19-year-old Benedetta Pilato.
King’s time was 1:05.43 in winning the Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The only woman to win three Olympic medals in this event was Australia’s Leisel Jones in 2000-04-08.
“I could very easily have been second,” King said. “And I ended up tied for fourth. That’s just kind of the luck of the draw in this race.”
She was seventh at 50 meters, closed on the leaders, but “kind of fell part that last 10 meters,” she said. “That’s racing. That’s what happens.”
She is not the dominant breaststroker she once was, although she won gold in the 200 in 2022 and silver in the 50 (a non-Olympic event) in 2023 at World Championships. She has been candid about trying to restore confidence.
“It’s something that I really just had to rebuild,” King said. “I was feeling in a really good place tonight and just wanted to go out there and take in the moment and enjoy the process, which I definitely wasn’t doing three years ago.”
She has stated Paris will be her last Olympics, although this was not her last Olympic race. She has heats and semifinals of the 200 breaststroke Wednesday, the final Thursday, and later the 4x100 medley relay.
She famously won the 100 breaststroke gold medal in 2016 in a Cold War showdown against Russian rival Yulia Efimova.
King is the second American to make three Olympic teams in the 100 breaststroke. The other is Amanda Beard, who swam breaststroke at four Olympics (1996-2000-2004-2008). King will be the first American to swim both breaststrokes in three successive Olympics.
During the Olympic Trials, she became engaged to boyfriend James Wells, 32, a former IU swimmer from Phippsburg, Maine.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lilly King misses medal by .01 seconds in 100 breaststroke at Olympics
