Outspoken King triumphs at swim trials
OMAHA, Nebraska, June 16, (AP): Lilly King always seems to back up her big talk.
King is headed back to the Olympics after a victory in the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. swimming trials, ensuring she will have another big platform in Tokyo to rip into drug cheats and muse on pretty much anything else that pops into her mind.
The entire night went largely as expected. Defending Olympic champion Ryan Murphy and former world recordholder Regan Smith claimed the 100 backstroke events.
National team newcomer Kieran Smith added a second race to his Tokyo program with a victory in the 200 freestyle, two days after his triumph in the 400 free.
Katie Ledecky cruised through her busiest day of the trials as the top qualifier in a pair of events.
A world record-holder and another of the biggest trials favorites, King powered to the finish of the 100 breast in 1 minute, 4.79 seconds.
The 24-year-old from Evansville, Indiana, got a bit of a challenge from Lydia Jacoby, who locked up the expected second spot on the Olympic team by finishing next in 1:05:28.
This would be Jacoby’s first Olympics.
In addition to her well-documented complaints about doping within the sport, King has boldly predicted the American women are capable of winning every individual event in Tokyo - a comment that will surely stir passions in the expected rivalry with the Australians.
SWIMMING
Murphy is going back to the Olympics to defend America’s dominance in the men’s backstroke.
The 25-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, held on to win the 100 back the first of two spots he hopes to claim in his bid to pull off another backstroke sweep at the Tokyo Games.
Matt Grevers, who won the 100 back at the 2012 London Games and just missed making the U.S. team five years ago, failed again in what was surely his final bid to make his third Olympics.
The 36-year-old finished sixth in 53.27. He lingered on the deck for a few extra seconds, acknowledging the cheers of the socially distanced crowd.
The expected second spot on the Olympic team went to Hunter Armstrong (52.48).