"Sorry we aren’t so uptight we can’t cheer for our teammates" - Lilly King reacts to Cate Campbell slamming US team for medal tally
American swimmer Lilly King stood up for Team USA after Cate Campbell lashed out at them for the medal tally at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship in Fukuoka.
King backed Team USA, saying they were not uptight for not encouraging their own teammates. This happened when Campbell criticized the American team's ritual of ringing a cowbell when any of their athletes go for the race.
"Sorry we aren't so uptight we can't cheer for our teammates as they walkout for events," Lilly King wrote.
"See you in Paris," King added.
See you in Paris🥰 twitter.com/rowdygaines/st…Sorry we aren’t so uptight we can’t cheer for our teammates as they walkout for events👀 See you in Paris🥰 twitter.com/rowdygaines/st…
Cate Campbell took a jibe at Team USA by calling them 'sore losers' and it fired the skirmish between the Australian and the American.
"Such such sore losers. I mean Australia coming out on the top of the world is one thing, but it is just so much sweeter beating America," Campbell said in the interview shared on Twitter by Rowdy Gaines. "Basically the first night of competition, we did not have to hear 'Star Spangled Banner' ring out through the stadium."
"Bring on Paris. That's all I have to say to the US. Stop being sore losers," Campbell sledged.
The USA team was awarded the Team of the Meet at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship. The USA team won a total of 35 medals, including five gold medals. The Australian team won a total of 22 medals including, 13 gold medals.
According to the World Aquatics scoring system, it was fair to award the American team the best team of the World Championship, which infuriated the Australian.
Lilly King at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship
Lilly King won two medals at the 2023 World Championship. The 26-year-old swimmer won a silver in the women's 50m breaststroke. She completed the race with a time of 26.94 to secure the second spot.
The American swimmer contributed to winning a gold medal for her team in the women's 4x100 medley relay. She competed in the event along with Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh, and Kate Douglass. King swam second in the race, swimming the breaststroke in which she specializes. The American completed her lap with a time of 64.93, leading the team to victory.
King has had a successful Olympic journey. She won two gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, one in the 100m breaststroke and the other in the 4x100m medley.
The Olympian won three medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, including a silver in the 200m breaststroke, one silver in the 4x100m Medley and a bronze in the 100m breaststroke.