Lilly King will be entering the Paris Olympics as her last. Having appeared in the previous two Olympics, King clinched 5 medals and some significant accolades to her name. Specializing in the 100m breaststroke, King currently holds the world record in the long course of 100m breaststroke. Her first taste of Olympic glory came at the 2016 Olympics, where she clinched a double gold. King also won a bronze and a silver in the subsequent Olympics to establish herself as a dominant champion. 

Apart from the Olympics, Lilly King also has a staggering 20 gold medals overall. These include her Pan Pacific and World Championships golds as well. Meanwhile, behind all these successes, apart from Lilly King’s hard work, her family was of paramount importance. Here’s everything about Lilly King’s family, along with details about her siblings. 

Unveiling the story behind Lilly King’s parents and sibling

Lilly King was born and brought up in Evansville, Indiana. Born to Mark King and Ginny King, Lilly already had a family that was engrossed in sports. Her father, Mark, was a track and field athlete running cross country for Indiana State University. Ginny King, on the other hand, was a swimmer for Eastern Kentucky University. She also swam for Illinois State University. 

Lilly King also has a brother, Alex, who has decided to walk in his elder sister’s path. A walk-on swimmer for the University of Michigan, Alex has also made himself quite a reputation of his own. Lilly’s entire family has been a pillar of support for her success. And surely enough, they were overwhelmed when Lilly King made it to the US team. 

As Lilly King proudly stood alongside her US team swimming peers at CenturyLink Center, Mark King became emotional. He said, “That’s when it really hit us… It was like, ‘Wow, she’s really on the team.’ We both shed some tears there.” And this was not the only instance when Lilly’s parents were proud of her.

King’s family witnesses tears of joy throughout her Olympic journey

After her dispute with her Russian rival Yulia Efimova, Lilly King became the subject of sudden public scrutiny despite securing Olympic gold in women’s 100-meter breaststroke for her country. King called out Efimova, resulting in an international issue. But in 2016, the backdrop changed for Lilly. After living the best day of her life, Lilly could not wait to share her emotions with the strongest pillars of her life. Sitting back in Rio, she called her family and coach at 2 a.m. 

In that call, Lilly relived her experience and took her family down the same lane. Lilly narrated every minute story and moment she spent, what she ate, where she visited to whom she met. Her mother, Ginny King, said, “I don’t even remember all the things we touched on”. Her father, Mark, added, “We were talking about her race, she was talking about who she had met and who was in the cool-down pool. We didn’t get into the bigger things that blew up around her.”

This phone call continued as a regime for the next few days. As her father said, “The phone, it was just pop, pop, pop”. Mark King hilariously added, “It didn’t stop. I shut it off for the awards ceremony the next day and turned it right back on and there were 50-60 new messages. I didn’t even know my phone could function like that.” The proud parents gleefully shared how they were a part of the whole journey with Lilly as she achieved her global glory.