EVANSVILLE — As the 2024 Paris Olympics start Friday, two athletes will continue to shine a light for Southwestern Indiana.
Lilly King and Jackie Young have made names for themselves since their days at Reitz and Princeton High Schools, respectively. They both competed for IHSAA titles, became NCAA champions and have already clinched Olympic gold medals. They also come from tight-knit communities that always back them up no matter what.
The town of Princeton held parades for Young after the Notre Dame women's basketball championship in 2018, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Las Vegas Aces title in 2022. A mural was also created on Reitz Hill as King heads to Paris — not to mention being the namesake of the Lilly King Pool at Deaconess Aquatic Center.
Here's a look at both athletes and what their goals are over the next several days.
Lilly King aims to make history in her final Olympics
The 27-year-old has established herself among Team USA's most dominant swimmers since making her debut in 2016.
She won two gold medals that year in Rio de Janeiro in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 4x100-meter medley relay. King is a 23-time World Championship medalist and clinched three golds in 2019. She was on the 4x100 relay that set the world record (3:44.35) in 2022 and broke another in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.13) in 2017.
This has been quite a year for the former Indiana University swimmer. She qualified for her third Olympics in her home state last month at Lucas Oil Stadium and got engaged after punching her ticket for the 200-meter breaststroke. She's the second American to make three Olympic teams in the 100 breaststroke and aims to be the first woman ever to win gold twice in the event.
King is close to touching a swimming wall for the last time. She's not aiming for Los Angeles in 2028 . After putting in countless hours of training and grinding to get to this point, King is adamant about competing in her final Olympic Games .
"I'm at the point in my life where I've accomplished everything I've ever wanted to do in the sport," she told reporters earlier this month. "I don't think many people can say that. I'm very fortunate."
Hoosiers swim coach Ray Looze added: "She's one of the greatest breaststrokers the U.S. and the world has ever seen in accomplishment and longevity."
Jackie Young makes her debut with Team USA
The 26-year-old's accomplishments are endless, from being an IHSAA and NCAA champion to playing a vital part in the Aces winning back-to-back WNBA titles.
Young made her Olympic debut in 2021 and played on the women's 3x3 basketball team. After hitting two clutch free throws and dominating on defense, the U.S. cruised to an 18-15 victory against Russia in the gold medal game.
“This is a major highlight of my career,” Young said after winning gold. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not everybody has. Just a rare thing to get.”
Young is about to make her debut on Team USA — fellow Aces A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum are also on the team. After falling to Team WNBA 117-109 in Saturday's All-Star game, Team USA blew out Germany 84-57 in its final exhibition game before the Olympics. Young had eight points and two assists in the victory.
Team USA has nine Olympic gold medals, including a record seven-straight titles, and is ranked No. 1 going into Paris. While Young was unsure if she would make the final roster cut, she never took the selection process for granted.
“I wasn’t sure if I was gonna make it, but I knew that I just put my all out there and did whatever I could,” Young told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s something that you just dream of as a little girl. So to finally be able to achieve that, it’s just something that I’ve never felt before.”
How to watch Lilly King and Jackie Young compete in 2024 Paris Olympics
All times are CDT. All events will be streamed on Peacock
Sunday, July 28
- 4 a.m.: King, 100 breaststroke prelims, USA Network
- *2:15 p.m.: King, 100 breaststroke semifinals, NBC
Monday, July 29
- 1:45 p.m.: Young, U.S. women's basketball vs. Japan, group play, USA Network
- *2:32 p.m.: King, 100 breaststroke finals, NBC
Wednesday, July 31
- 4 a.m.: King, 200 breaststroke heats, USA Network
- *2:46 p.m.: King, 200 breaststroke semifinals, NBC
Thursday, Aug. 1
- 1:45 p.m.: Young, U.S. women's basketball vs. Belgium, group play, USA Network
- *2:03 p.m.: King, 200 breaststroke finals, NBC
Saturday, Aug. 3
- 4 a.m.: King, 4x100 medley heats, USA Network
Sunday, Aug. 4
- 10 a.m.: Young, U.S. women's basketball vs. Germany, group play, USA Network
- *12:26 p.m.: King, 4x100 medley finals, NBC
Wednesday, Aug. 7
- *TBD: Young, U.S. women's basketball, quarterfinal
Friday, Aug. 9
- *TBD: Young, U.S. women's basketball, semifinal, NBC
Sunday, Aug. 11
* 4:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m.: Young, U.S. women's basketball, medal game, USA Network or NBC
*-if King or Young advances
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Lilly King, Jackie Young set to represent SW Indiana in 2024 Paris Olympics
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