Team USA swimmer Lilly King qualified Thursday for her second event at the Paris Olympics and also brought home another precious metal.
After she finished second in the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, King's longtime boyfriend, James Wells, greeted her and told her spending the last four years as her boyfriend has been an honor. Then he presented her with a ring.
"Yes, yes, yes," she said, still dripping from her race.
She looked at the ring and said, "Oh, it fits perfect."
Wells, a fellow alum of the swim team at Indiana University in nearby Bloomington, said the timing was right to ask for King's hand in marriage.
"It means so much for her to be here in front of this crowd," Wells said after the proposal. "That's the perfect opportunity."
King and her fiancé spoke about the special moment on NBC's "TODAY" Friday morning.
"I was honestly just so confused why he was on deck. After that I was like ‘Why are you wearing your nice clothes, like what’s going on?’ Then I realized, oh I know what’s going on."
She said she had been expecting a possible proposal after the Paris Games when they plan to "frolic around Europe," but "last night I was not expecting it at all."
Wells said he had thought about proposing during their Europe travels this summer in England, but saw this was a special moment to share with her dearest loved ones.
"Just seeing Lilly with all of her friends here, and kind of in this stadium in our home state, I was like I think this would be a really special moment that she can share with everyone," he said. "So I called up a few of my friends that are working here and they got me behind the scenes and kind of set all of this stuff up and it was really awesome."
"It was already an unbelievable week to start off with, making my third Olympic team, obviously could not be more special, and then now I’m getting married!" King said with a laugh.
The couple said they'd celebrate their engagement by going home and hanging out with their pets.
King, a two-time Olympian, finished the 200-meter breaststroke behind Kate Douglass by passing Gretchen Walsh a few strokes from the wall.
She qualified for her third Summer Games appearance by winning the 100-meter breaststroke final Monday in Indianapolis.
King will become the first U.S. swimmer to race the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke at three straight Olympics. She'll bring her Hoosier pride to Paris.
"It's just unbelievably special," she said after her win Monday. "We're a swimming state. I'm really proud of that. And I'm glad to represent us."
