INDIANAPOLIS – Since the Olympic Games first awarded medals in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1968, no woman has twice won gold.
Lilly King has another shot to be the first.
King, the former Indiana University swimmer from Evansville, made a third Olympic team in her signature event Monday night in the U.S. trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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She won in 1:05.43, beating surprise runner-up Emma Weber, 1:06.10. Lydia Jacoby, who beat King in winning gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, was third in 1:06.37 — and out.
Top two qualify for the Paris Olympics, plus six (customarily) in the 100 and 200 freestyles for relays.
It was a huge night for coach Ray Looze’s IU swim program.
Also qualifying for Paris out of the 200 free finals were Blake Pieroni, sixth, and Anna Peplowski, fifth.
IU went without a U.S. Olympic swimmer from 1976 until 2016, when King, Pieroni and Cody Miller all made the team for Rio de Janeiro.
King famously won a showdown against Russian rival Yulia Efimova at Rio, then finished with bronze at Tokyo 2021 behind U.S. teammate Lydia Jacoby.
At a news conference Friday, the 27-year-old King announced she would not stick around for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I will be watching in Los Angeles, and I’m good with that decision,” she said. “I will not be done after this summer, but I will not be going another four years. I’ll be cheering on the team.”
She will also try to make the team in the 200 breaststroke, in which heats and semifinals are Wednesday and the final Thursday night.
King has not won a global gold medal in the 100 breaststroke since the 2019 World Championships. After she was third at Tokyo, she placed fourth at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. She has held the world record of 1:04.13 since the 2017 worlds.
Tang Quianting challenged that world record at the Chinese championships, clocking 1:04.39 on April 21.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USA Swimming Olympic Trials: Lilly King wins 100 breaststroke
