Paris Olympics: Lilly King misses podium by .01 in 100m breaststroke

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PARIS — Lilly King, confidence shaken, former self distant, failed to medal in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke here at the 2024 Olympics on Monday, finishing fourth in a race she once owned.

King, a 27-year-old American star, touched in 1:05.60, behind China’s Qianting Tang (1:05.28), South Africa’s Tatjana Smith (née Schoenmaker, 1:05.54) and Ireland’s Mona McSharry (1:05.59).

King missed the podium by .01, touching in 1:05.60

At what she’s said will be her final Olympics, she’ll have one more chance to get on the podium: In Thursday’s 200 breaststroke, the weaker of her two races.

King became a household name with her finger-wagging and gold-medal-winning in 2016. She entered the 2021 Olympics as the undisputed queen of the 100, her signature event. She was unbeaten in five years. Her brash confidence was legendary and unshakable.

Then, in Tokyo, a 17-year-old Alaskan shook it. Lydia Jacoby stunned King in the 100 breast. King still won three medals at those Games, but her invincibility had been deflated. Her aura faded. "​​My confidence took a major, major hit," she'd say later.

For three years, she tried to rebuild it. But doing so was far easier said than done.

“That's been something that I have probably had to work the hardest on since 2021, just kinda getting back to that monster version of Lilly that walks out before the race,” she said.

Last month, she was still working on it. Her fourth-place finish at world championships last summer hadn’t helped.

“To say I'm at the confidence level I was in 2021 would be just a flat out lie,” she said after qualifying for these Games at U.S. trials. “Going into 2021, I pretty much felt invincible. Going into 2016, I pretty much felt invincible.” Going into 2024, she very much did not.

She had a lane, and a shot, on Monday in one of the more unpredictable races at this meet.

But she couldn’t quite get to the wall in time.

She’ll have one more shot at an individual medal in Thursday’s 200 breaststroke.