How Lilly King Owned Her Moment In 2016
How Lilly King Owned Her Moment In 2016
Lilly King talks about owning her moment in Rio by winning the 100m breaststroke, defeating Russia's Yulia Efimova, and taking a stand against doping.
Lilly King took the world by storm in 2016. In her first year at the University of Indiana (2015-16), she racked up a resume of accolades that most can only dream of accomplishing in a career.
King was the 2016 NCAA champion in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke -- as a freshman. Oh, by the way, her times of 56.85 and 2:03.59 in the 100 and 200, respectively were American, NCAA, NCAA meet, U.S. Open (fastest swim in history on U.S. soil), Indiana school, Big Ten, and even Georgia Tech pool records. But wait, there's more... King was the CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year and the unanimous Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.
To say Lilly King was the favorite in the breaststroke events going into the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials was an understatement. As expected, King swept the 100m and 200m breaststroke, winning the 100 with a time of 1:05.20 and the 200 with a time of 2:24.08.
But King did not stop there. After taking the win in the first semifinal of the women's 100m breaststroke in Rio, Russian swimmer and medal favorite Yulia Efimova waved her index finger in the air, presumably claiming to be No. 1. King did not take too kindly to that, and was shown on camera by NBC in the ready room preparing for the second semifinal wagging her finger side to side. Not so fast...
But let's back up for a second. Why is this happening? Why is this even a big deal? Why did it catch fire in the media?
Efimova's participation in the 2016 Olympic Games was controversial to begin with in light of the doping scandal going on with the Russian Olympic team. Efimova was initially banned from participating in the Games for a previous doping suspension. However, this decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing her to compete and stirring up drama among American athletes that reinvigorated a USA versus Russia narrative. Efimova received a constant barrage of jeers and boos throughout the competition from spectators.
So, now that we are up to speed. What happened? Well, King ended up defeating Efimova in the 100m breaststroke final, taking the gold medal in an Olympic record time of 1:04.93.
Why is all of this important? King took a courageous stand. "You're shaking your finger 'No. 1' and you've been caught for drug cheating," King said. "I'm not a fan." Lilly King made it clear that she had no time or respect for doping in sport.
In the video below by USA Swimming, King and fellow Olympic and Indiana teammate Cody Miller discuss King owning her moment in Rio and how special it was for her to back up her comments with a gold medal.
Video Courtesy of USA Swimming
King was the 2016 NCAA champion in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke -- as a freshman. Oh, by the way, her times of 56.85 and 2:03.59 in the 100 and 200, respectively were American, NCAA, NCAA meet, U.S. Open (fastest swim in history on U.S. soil), Indiana school, Big Ten, and even Georgia Tech pool records. But wait, there's more... King was the CSCAA National Swimmer of the Year and the unanimous Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.
To say Lilly King was the favorite in the breaststroke events going into the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials was an understatement. As expected, King swept the 100m and 200m breaststroke, winning the 100 with a time of 1:05.20 and the 200 with a time of 2:24.08.
But King did not stop there. After taking the win in the first semifinal of the women's 100m breaststroke in Rio, Russian swimmer and medal favorite Yulia Efimova waved her index finger in the air, presumably claiming to be No. 1. King did not take too kindly to that, and was shown on camera by NBC in the ready room preparing for the second semifinal wagging her finger side to side. Not so fast...
But let's back up for a second. Why is this happening? Why is this even a big deal? Why did it catch fire in the media?
Efimova's participation in the 2016 Olympic Games was controversial to begin with in light of the doping scandal going on with the Russian Olympic team. Efimova was initially banned from participating in the Games for a previous doping suspension. However, this decision was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing her to compete and stirring up drama among American athletes that reinvigorated a USA versus Russia narrative. Efimova received a constant barrage of jeers and boos throughout the competition from spectators.
So, now that we are up to speed. What happened? Well, King ended up defeating Efimova in the 100m breaststroke final, taking the gold medal in an Olympic record time of 1:04.93.
Why is all of this important? King took a courageous stand. "You're shaking your finger 'No. 1' and you've been caught for drug cheating," King said. "I'm not a fan." Lilly King made it clear that she had no time or respect for doping in sport.
In the video below by USA Swimming, King and fellow Olympic and Indiana teammate Cody Miller discuss King owning her moment in Rio and how special it was for her to back up her comments with a gold medal.
Video Courtesy of USA Swimming