"Long live all the magic we made"- Lily King sends emotional farewell after final appearance at World Championships

Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Day 24: Swimming - Source: Getty
Lily King reacts after her last competitive race at the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Source: Getty

American swimmer Lily King took to social media to share an emotional message after she retired from competitive swimming following her participation in the Women's 50m Breaststroke at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. This marked King's final race of her career, where she finished fifth with a time of 30.25s. She also helped the Women's 4x100m Medley Relay team win the event by competing in the preliminary round.

Ad

Lily King is regarded as one of the best swimmers ever from the United States. King gained recognition for her performances at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke event at the age of 19, establishing herself as one of the most exciting talents in the world. She would go on to win six Olympic medals, with her last one coming at the Paris Games, where she helped the Women's 4x100m Medley Relay team win gold. King announced earlier in the season that she would be retiring after the World Championships in Singapore.

Ad

King took to Instagram to share an emotional message after her final race, writing:

"Long live all the magic we made✨ Thank you swimming!! Lilly out✌🏼,"
Ad

Lily King also competed at the TYR Pro Swim Series earlier this year, where she finished first in the Women's 50m Breaststroke event.


Lily King wanted to compete in her last national meet in Indianapolis

King at the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Source: Getty
King at the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships - Source: Getty

Lily King took to social media to announce her retirement after the 2025 season, stating that she wanted her last national competition to be at the USA Swimming Toyota National Championships in Indianapolis, the pool where she began swimming at the age of 10. In a post on Instagram, she wrote:

Ad
"Well folks, my time has come. This will be my final season competing. I’m fortunate heading into retirement being able to say I have accomplished everything I have ever wanted in this sport. I feel fulfilled."
"That being said, it has always been important to me that my last meet in the US be at the pool that started it all. I have been racing in the IU Natatorium since I was 10 years old. From state meets, to NCAAs, Nationals, and anything in between, this pool has been my home. I didn’t quite make it 20 years (only 18) of racing in Indy, but this is as close as I’m gonna get! I look forward to racing in front of a home crowd one last time. See you in Indy!"
Ad

Lily King also has 28 World Championship medals to her name, with 19 of them being gold. She will go down as one of the greatest swimmers to represent the United States.

Quick Links

Edited by Rupesh
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications