Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King was already having a week to remember.
Then, an unexpected moment of joy happened on Thursday night.
King, 27, already won the 100-meter breaststroke earlier in the week at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis to qualify for the 2024 Paris Summer Games before finishing second behind Kate Douglass in the 200-meter 200 breaststroke on Thursday night to qualify for that race as well.
But it’s what came after that race that really shocked the swimmer.
Her boyfriend, James Wells, was caught on camera popping the question to get engaged.
And the answer was a resounding yes.
Wells, a former swimmer at the University of Indiana where they both attended, delivered a touching soliloquy as King looked on in astonishment after she admitted someone told her to put her hair down for the moment.
“Just to see you grow has been so awesome and I don’t regret for a minute dropping my job and moving halfway across the country for us to move in together. It has been awesome and I am very excited to see where this is going, so, dear, I was wondering, Lillia Camille King, will you marry me?”‘ Wells asked.
Wells got down on one knee as waited on bated breath for King’s answer, which was a yes, and the two shared a hug and a kiss all caught on the NBC cameras.
Fellow swimmer Ryan Murphy didn’t see the moment but called it “unbelievable” once she heard about the news.
“I didn’t see it,” Murphy said. “That’s unbelievable. I’d love to hear her reaction to how it is to get proposed to completely out of breath and soaked. That’s incredible. She must be riding an absolute high.”
King, who’s claimed five total medals in her Olympic career, now will look to add more to her trophy case this summer after adding a ring to her hand.