INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly King can add an engagement ring to her Olympic rings.
The Hoosier swimming icon added a second workforce berth Thursday on evening 6 of the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium. Making it extra memorable was the marriage proposal that adopted close to the warm-up pool — in view of cameras, microphones and an assemblage of journalist witnesses.
King, 27, turned engaged to boyfriend James Wells, 32, of Phippsburg, Maine. She waved her finger displaying the ring when she was launched to the gang.
Lilly King’s Final Trip:Star swimmer says Indy will probably be her closing Olympic trials
‘Queen of Indiana swimming’Lilly King wins 100 breaststroke, earns one other Olympics spot
Wells, a former Indiana College backstroker who as soon as represented Workforce USA within the World College Video games, is greatest buddy of Cody Miller, a former IU breaststroker. Miller received two medals on the 2016 Rio Olympics.
An NBC microphone picked up a few of Wells’ proposal to King:
“Out and in of the pool, and simply to see you develop has been so superior. And I don’t remorse for a minute dropping my job and transferring midway throughout the nation. It has been superior. I’m very excited. So, right here is the ring. Will you . . . “
Wells couldn’t end the sentence.
“Sure, sure,” King stated.
With trademark grit, she clawed again from a deficit by means of 150 meters to complete second within the 200-meter breaststroke, overtaking Alex Walsh.
Kate Douglass completed first in 2:19.46, simply off her American document of two:19.30. King clocked 2:21.93 and Walsh 2:22.38.
Prime two qualify for the Paris Olympics. King, winner of the 100 breaststroke, would be the first American to swim each breaststrokes in three successive Olympics.
She has not received a world gold medal within the 100 breaststroke, her signature occasion, for the reason that 2019 World Championships. She took bronze on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then positioned fourth on the 2022 and 2023 worlds.
She was 2022 world champion within the 200 breaststroke.
At a pre=meet information convention, King introduced she wouldn’t proceed competing as much as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
She declined to match this Olympic Trials to those from 2016 and 2021, explaining she has been at completely different levels of life. Seems the subsequent stage consists of planning a marriage.
Earlier than that, in maybe the world’s most romantic metropolis, she’s going to attempt to add to her whole of 5 Olympic medals.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Comply with him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.