Lilly King's parents believed she'd win gold

Nothing Lilly King has said or done since arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics has surprised her parents.

When she criticized Russia's Yulia Efimova for being a drug cheat in an NBC interview Sunday night, it sent shock waves through the international swimming world. What it didn't do was shock Ginny King - not really.

Mom just shook her head and sighed. "That's the Lil we know," she said.

When the 19-year-old King followed up the tough talk with a killer swim in the 100-meter breaststroke finals Monday night, finally shaking Efimova over the final 15 meters, Mark King sat back and smiled like the proud dad he is.

"Her goal was to crack that 1:05 barrier and I knew if she could do it, it would probably be her race," he said.

His brash, outspoken daughter had told NBC's Michelle Tafoya Sunday night that she was aiming for a 1:04 clocking. She didn't disappoint. She swam 1:04.93 to set the Olympic record and become the first American woman to win Olympic gold in the 100 breaststroke in 16 years.

"To be honest, I think I was a little more nervous for the (U.S. Olympic) trials because so much of your career is defined by whether or not you are an Olympian," said Mark King.

Now the rising sophomore at Indiana University has claimed a new identity. She'll forevermore be known as Evansville's first swimming gold medalist.

Her Twitter account has blown up since Sunday night with her number of followers growing to 22,000. Just five months ago, she had 400.

Mark King laughed when he was asked what it was like to be the father of America's newest swimming sweetheart.

"I don't know if sweetheart is the right word," he said.

King likely wouldn't approve of that description, either.

With the gold medal won, she defiantly defended what she said about Efimova, who was only cleared to compete in the Olympics on Saturday because of two drug suspensions.

“That’s kind of my personality,’’ King said Monday night. “I’m not just this sweet little girl…If I do need to stir it up to put a little fire under my butt or anybody else’s, then that’s what I’m going to do."

Her parents might have shaken their heads after hearing that quote, too. But they would have been shaking their heads in agreement.

"It's just great to see any American come in and back it up. It's a point of pride for me," said her dad.

Added Ginny King, "She's very outspoken, for good or bad. It definitely added a little fire to the pool last night, that's for sure. It's just insane that it takes the voice of a 19 year old, first-time Olympian to do that. That should be the job of the IOC."

Her parents and brother Alex still haven't gotten to spend much time with swimming's newest international sensation. They did manage to get a quick hug as King came off the podium Monday night with the gold medal around her neck. They also had a long phone conversation in the wee hours Tuesday morning after King had completed her International Olympic Committee protocols and media obligations.

"We are going to see her in the Olympic Village on Friday because she will be off," said Ginny King.

While Tuesday was an off day from competition for King, it wasn't in terms of her preparation for the 200-meter breaststroke race. Qualifying for the 200 begins Wednesday morning with King in the second heat at approximately 11:52 a.m. If she's one of the top 16 to advance to the evening semifinals, she will swim again around 9. The finals are Thursday night.

But unlike the 100 where she was the gold medal favorite, King arrived in Rio with only the 16th fastest time in the 200 at 2:24.03. She predicted last month that she would trim three seconds off her time to become a medal contender in the 200 before she arrived in Brazil.

We're about to find out whether she can back up another brash statement.

"We learned a long time ago not to doubt her," said Ginny King. "When she was a little kid she'd say she was going to do something and I'd be like 'OK honey, that's nice.' And then she'd go out and do it. It kind of makes all of us look silly for doubting her even if we don't say it out loud."

Contact sports editor Randy Beard at randy.beard@courierpress.com or 812-464-7613