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Add another Olympic ring to Lilly King.
U.S. swimmers qualified on Thursday to compete in two events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, so they don’t have to wait until Paris to win gold.
Immediately after she stepped out of the pool at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, her boyfriend got down on one knee and proposed marriage.
“It’s been such a joy watching you these last four years, both in and out of the pool, and watching you grow,” said her boyfriend, former Indiana University swimmer James Wells. “It’s been such a joy and I can’t wait to see what’s to come. So, Lily Camille King, will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes!” King replied.
So first came the Olympic rings, then the diamond rings.
King is pretty used to being handed a gold or silver medal after emerging from the pool — she already has five Olympic medals under her belt: two gold, two silver and one bronze.
She will become the first U.S. swimmer to compete in the 100 and 200 breaststroke in three consecutive Olympic Games. She won the 100 breaststroke on Tuesday and placed second to Kate Douglas in the 200 on Thursday, qualifying for both events in Paris.
The 27-year-old King won gold medals in the 100m breaststroke and 4×100 medley relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, before winning bronze in the 100m and silver in the relay and 200m breaststroke at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She is now in Paris to add pieces to the collection.
While waiting until July to propose at the Eiffel Tower would have been a romantic choice, the proposal took place in King’s home state of Indiana, where his family was presumably in attendance to celebrate his engagement and Olympic qualification.
“It’s so cool that Lily is running in this pool and it’s in her hometown,” Wells told NBC’s Melissa Stark. “For all of us who swam together at Indiana University and have done things together, this is a strong swimming state, so it means so much to her to be in front of this crowd, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do it.”
King, who was wearing her ring at Thursday’s awards ceremony, said she didn’t expect to be given a new ring after her swim, even though she was asked to remove her swimming cap and let her hair down.
“I was just confused because you were here,” she told Wells. “Oh my goodness! I’m so excited!”
American swimmer Regan Smith set a new world record in the 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. National Swimming Championships on Tuesday.
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