Lilly King felt a rush of excitement on Jan. 1, 2016, as she headed into the final months of preparing for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, at which she won two gold medals.
But when Jan. 1, 2020, came, she didn’t feel the same emotion about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a reaction that disappointed her. King was in position to win four gold medals, but she was instead thinking about the break she would be able to take after the games.
The prior months left her feeling that way.
King’s 2019 was filled with many high-stakes meets: the Division I NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship, the World Aquatics Championships, and the first year of the International Swimming League.