Lilly King Finishes 7th in 50m Breaststroke at 2022 World Swimming Championships
June 25, 2022
Team USA's Lilly King failed to medal in the 50-meter women's breaststroke event at the 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.
Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte took gold with a time of 29.70 seconds, while King finished in 30.40 seconds, settling for seventh place.
Here is a full rundown of the finishing order from Saturday's final with Meilutyte, Italy's Benedetta Pilato and South Africa's Lara van Niekerk occupying the top three spots on the podium:
1. Ruta Meilutyte: 29.70
2. Benedetta Pilato: 29.80
3. Lara van Niekerk: 29.90
4. Qianting Tang: 30.21
5. Anna Elendt: 30.22
6. Eneli Jefimova: 30.25
7. Lilly King: 30.40
8. Jhennifer Conceicao: 30.45
The 50-meter breaststroke marked the second time in four races at the 2022 world championships that King finished off the podium, as she previously finished fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke.
King isn't leaving Budapest empty-handed, however, as she won gold in both the 200-meter breaststroke and 4x100-meter women's medley relay events.
The 25-year-old King has won three individual Olympic medals in breaststroke and five individual world championship medals.
That included gold in the 50-meter at both the 2017 and 2019 world championships, setting a world championship record in the event at the 2017 worlds with a time of 29.40 seconds.
King has become better at longer distances in recent years, winning silver in the 200-meter at the 2020 Olympics and bronze in the 100-meter but not medaling in the 50-meter.
That was true again in these world championships, as she won gold in the 200, but did not win a medal in either the 50 or the 100.
While Saturday's race was a disappointment for King, it represented a special moment for the 25-year-old Meilutyte, who has missed significant time since the 2013 world championship due to injuries and a two-year doping suspension.
The Lithuanian star won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2012 London Olympics at just 15 years of age and followed it up with gold in the 100-meter and silver in the 50-meter at the 2013 worlds.
Meilutyte took bronze in the 100-meter earlier at the 2022 world championships, meaning she will depart Budapest with two medals in tow.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Pilato won her second medal at the 2022 world championships after taking gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, and the 19-year-old Van Niekerk won the first world championship medal of her career.