INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly King can add an engagement ring to her Olympic rings.
The Hoosier swimming icon added a second team berth Thursday on night 6 of the U.S. Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium. Making it more memorable was the wedding proposal that followed near the warm-up pool — in view of cameras, microphones and an assemblage of journalist witnesses.
King, 27, became engaged to boyfriend James Wells, 32, of Phippsburg, Maine. She waved her finger showing the ring when she was introduced to the crowd.
Lilly King’s Last Ride: Star swimmer says Indy will be her final Olympic trials
‘Queen of Indiana swimming’ Lilly King wins 100 breaststroke, earns another Olympics spot
Wells, a former Indiana University backstroker who once represented Team USA in the World University Games, is best friend of Cody Miller, a former IU breaststroker. Miller won two medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
An NBC microphone picked up some of Wells’ proposal to King:
“In and out of the pool, and just to see you grow has been so awesome. And I don’t regret for a minute dropping my job and moving halfway across the country. It has been awesome. I am very excited. So, here is the ring. Will you . . . “
Wells could not finish the sentence.
“Yes, yes,” King said.
With trademark grit, she clawed back from a deficit through 150 meters to finish second in the 200-meter breaststroke, overtaking Alex Walsh.
Kate Douglass finished first in 2:19.46, just off her American record of 2:19.30. King clocked 2:21.93 and Walsh 2:22.38.
Top two qualify for the Paris Olympics. King, winner of the 100 breaststroke, will be the first American to swim both breaststrokes in three successive Olympics.
She has not won a global gold medal in the 100 breaststroke, her signature event, since the 2019 World Championships. She took bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, then placed fourth at the 2022 and 2023 worlds.
She was 2022 world champion in the 200 breaststroke.
At a pre=meet news conference, King announced she would not continue competing up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
She declined to compare this Olympic Trials to the ones from 2016 and 2021, explaining she has been at different stages of life. Turns out the next stage includes planning a wedding.
Before that, in perhaps the world’s most romantic city, she will try to add to her total of five Olympic medals.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lilly King swims to Olympic spot, gets engaged afterward at trials
