"I will not be going another four years"- World record holder Lilly King announces Paris Olympics as her final Olympic Games

Lilly King, the five-time Olympic medalist for the United States, recently announced that the Paris Olympics 2024 are going to be her last summer games. However, she also added that she will not retire immediately after the French event.

Eyeing a third successive Olympics appearance, King is taking part in the US Olympic Swimming Trials being hosted in Indianapolis from June 15 to June 23. The 27-year-old athlete is already a well-established figure in the swimming world, holding the 100m breaststroke world record that she set during the 2017 World Championships after finishing the heat in an incredible 1:04.13 seconds.

Besides that, she has also won two Olympic golds, two silvers, and a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay, 100m breaststroke, and 200m breaststroke. Lilly King is one of the most decorated swimmers in world championship history, having secured a staggering 23 medals (17 golds, 5 silvers, and a bronze). 2016 was the year when King participated in an Olympic event for the first time in Rio at the tender age of 19 and never looked back.

Fast forward to 2024, she will be participating as a veteran on the US swimming team alongside Katie Ledecky. However, the swimmer has also decided that the Paris Olympics will be the final quadrennial event of her career (if she qualifies at the trials).

Speaking about which King said (via Swim Swam):

"I will not be going another four years; I’ll be cheering on the team."

Talking about the 2028 LA Olympics, she added:

"I will be watching in Los Angeles and I’m good with that decision."

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What Lilly King has decided for herself after the retirement

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Although Lilly King has accepted that the Paris Olympics are going to be her last summer games appearance, the latter event won't be the final competition of her professional career. She will announce the end date for her competitive career later.

However, she said she wants to learn to live a normal life like the others after retirement. Talking to NBC Sports in April, she said:

"(After competing) I’m going to relax and learn how to be a normal human and do (swim) clinics for a while. That’s my plan."

She added:

"I’m going to be Lilly King as long as they allow me to be Lilly King and hopefully get to spread some of my knowledge and what the sport has given me, back to the swimming community."