Lily King drops reaction to Michael Phelps & Ryan Lochte’s remarks on U.S. team's performance at World Championships

American swimmer Lily King sent a message to Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte after they had criticized the USA swimmers competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Phelps and Lochte had been critical of USA swimmers for their performances at the 2025 World Championships, suggesting that the current crop of American swimmers are performing poorly in comparison to their generation.

King also competed in Singapore, finishing ninth in the Women's 100m Breaststroke with a time of 1:06.26. Afterwards, she responded to the criticism from the legendary swimmers.

Phelps and Lochte's post featured an AI-generated image of a gravestone with USA Swimming written on it.

"Call it a funeral, or call it a fresh start. We've got 3 years" - Ryan Lochte "Is this the wake up call USA swimming needed? Let's find out..." - Michael Phelps

Lily King responded to their stories a day later, when Katie Ledecky won gold in the 800m freestyle and the U.S Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay team won gold while breaking the world record, writing:

"Y'all been real quiet tonight 👀 @m_phelps00 @ryanlochte,"

Still taken from Phelps' and King's Instagram (Source: @m_phelps00/Instagram, @_king_lil/Instagram)

The US team has won nine gold medals so far at the World Aquatics Championships, behind China (15) and Australia (11). The nation's total medal tally for the Championships stands at 29 medals.

Meanwhile, Lily King is regarded as one of the best swimmers from the United States. King made her breakthrough on the international stage in 2016, when she qualified for the Rio Olympics and won two gold medals, setting an Olympic record in the women's 100m breaststroke.

King would go on to earn multiple accolades, including winning 13 World Championship medals with 11 of them being gold. King also set a world record in the 100m breaststroke at the 2017 Worlds, a record which she still holds. She is also a six-time Olympic medal winner.

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Lily King penned an emotional message to announce that she will be retiring

Lily King poses with her Olympic gold medal - Source: Getty

Lily King shared a heartfelt message where she announced that she will be retiring after the end of the 2025 season. She wrote on Instagram:

"Well folks, my time has come. This will be my final season competing. I’m fortunate heading into retirement being able to say I have accomplished everything I have ever wanted in this sport. I feel fulfilled."

King is planning to retire after the conclusion of the World Aquatics Championship in Singapore, ending her highly decorated career.

Edited by Tushar Bahl