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King earns silver in 200 breaststroke

After failing to medal in event at Rio, IU legend bounces back in Tokyo; training partner Lazor takes bronze

By MikeMillerCQ
Swimming - Olympics: Day 7
Silver medalist Lilly King of Team United States, gold medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker of Team South Africa and bronze medalist Annie Lazor of Team United States pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 200m Breaststroke Final on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

When she failed to qualify for the finals of the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2016 Rio Summer Games, Lilly King vowed she’d be better in the next Olympiad. Five years later, she followed through.

King captured her second medal of the Tokyo Games, taking silver in the 200 with a personal-best time of 2:19.92 to give IU its eighth medal of the Olympics. For King, not only was her time an individual record, it was the second fastest finish ever by an American swimmer in the event.

And it took a world record to beat her.

The Evansville product had a lead until the final 50 meters when South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker overtook her coming off the turn to capture the gold in a record time of 2:18.95. King’s training partner Annie Lazor, an Indiana Swim Club pro, took bronze in 2:20.84.

King, who secured a bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke final earlier in the week, is the 17th swimmer and fifth American in Olympic history to win medals in both breaststroke events.

You can catch the 200m breaststroke below, courtesy of NBC’s YouTube channel:

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