Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder, Lilly King, is everything you want in a swim star. By everything, I mean she’s passionate and forthcoming. King tells you what she wants and intends to do.
We caught up with King at the IU-Texas-Florida tri-meet, and she swam solid in-season times, 59 in 100 yard breaststroke and a 2:11 in the 200. Â Not bad considering she’s been training so hard she had to back-off breaststroke in practice.
King reviews last summer, explaining the hurdles Team USA suffered at the Pan Pacific Championships, and she talks about the 2019 World Championships ahead in South Korea.  King is straightforward. She wants to sweep the  breaststroke events, and she wants to see 1:03 on the board in the 100m breast. Her personal best is 1:04.13 from the 2017 World Championships in Budapest.  I think she’ll dip under 1:04.  What do you think?Â
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
FIERCE.
Dana Vollmer said in 2012 she wanted to go 55, and she did (with grace)
Vollmer can be a little cocky too. I think as she got older she grew some humility…at least in her press talks, but she has a history of not always being the sweetest. And there are other âcockyâ swimmers even in the past but people donât say anything when itâs a guy like Gary Hall Jr. So how come Lilly King canât say that she wants to go 1:03?
Simple, some men can’t handle a woman being confident and immediately call her arrogant and cocky
Going from best in the world in your stroke to not ever gonna beat someone younger than you will teach you humility
In Vollmer’s case… birthing and raising 2 children will also teach humility.
Talking it don’t make it happen..BEST to happen and then talk with HUMILITY.
King is confident — even a little cocky — but she has repeatedly backed it up with her swims. The talks the talk AND walks the walk. More power to her!
Male or female, everyone should be confident, should have a goal…….BUT I do like it when women stand strong in their confidence. I want to see it more and more and more. It is my hope King inspires a generation of tough female competitors who state their future goals and achieve them with power. Saying what you want is ok. Breathe life into your goals—-on the road to achievement. AND if you don’t achieve them, reset them, and keep swimming.
Do I need a swimswam copyright to print that on an inspirational poster?
No. It’s a quote from me in the comments section, an open platform. You can have it.
Well, she kind of got smoked this summer in the 200 Breast by Micah Sumrall. It has always struck me that King’s outspoken tendencies really are a mask for great insecurity on her part, and her words are not always that helpful to her team.
I don’t understand. What’s wrong with mentioning a goal? If anything, voicing your goal out loud will improve the way you hold yourself accountable. Good for her for putting it out there.
Not a bad thing to have a goal. No one accuses Peaty of his project 56, so why can’t King have a project 63?đ
When I saw Lilly King first time on the deck at big meet I told my friend:”Look, this young girl is as much confident in her win as Katie Ledecky”. Despite the difference in keeping their goals private or making it public like an already done thing both girls are similar in one aspect: they both deliver. I prefer swimmers behaving Ledecky’s way but don’t have anything against the King’s style. Moreover I think that by forcing her to behave more modestly we will kill this talent.
I donât like the word âtalentâ. I think it underestimates efforts. Maybe a better word for this is passion?
I agree! PASSION says it all in one word! Spot on, Anonymous!
Bjorn Borg was the best tennis player of his era, but John McEnroe got more people in the seats. Takes all types.
Considering her 104.1 PR, it’s not much of a stretch to target 1:03. Very realistic
…and it’s time for PB. World Champs before the Olympic year is typically fast.
Who could’ve thought that 3:40.08 will be the fastest time of Ian Thorpe and he never breaks 3:40. Especially after noticing how he slowed down at last 2-3 meters of that race.