Swimmer Lilly King Gets Engaged After Qualifying for 2024 Olympics

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Originally appeared on E! Online

Lilly King is heading to the Paris Olympics and then down the aisle.

Moments after competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis on June 20 and qualifying for her second event at the 2024 Games, the swimmer got engaged.

Upon finishing second in the 200-meter breaststroke, King was greeted by her boyfriend James Wells, who popped the question.

"Just to see you grow has been so awesome," he said of her journey in and out of the pool as seen in a video by NBC Sports. "And I don't regret for a minute dropping my job and moving halfway across the country for us to move in together. It's been awesome, and I'm very excited to see where this goes."

Wells then dropped down to one knee and proposed to King, who said yes and kissed him. And yes, she was totally surprised.

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"I was really confused 'cause Annie told me to put my hair down before I walked out instead of having it in my cap, and I was like, 'OK, sounds good,'" the bride-to-be told the outlet before turning to her fiancé. "And I was just confused 'cause you were down here. Oh my god I'm so excited."

Lilly King
Sarah Stier/Getty Images

As for the reason Wells picked this moment to ask King to marry him, he knew he wanted the proposal to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. After all, King was born in the state, and the two both swam at Indiana University.

"Lilly did the bid for this pool," Wells explained. "Having this be in her home state is so incredible. All of us that swam at IU together, did all this stuff together, this is such a powerful swimming state. And it just means so much to her to be here in front of this crowd, so I was like that's the perfect opportunity to do that."

King first qualified for the 2024 Olympics earlier this week when she won first place in the 100-meter breaststroke. This will be her third time competing at the Games. King took home two silver medals and a bronze at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and two gold medals in Rio in 2016.

To see more couples who got engaged this year, keep reading.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).

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The Bachelor in Paradise couple got engaged during a trip to Bali.

Posting pictures of himself getting down on one knee surrounded by flowers, candles and a waterfront view, Chris wrote on Instagram March 24, "My dream girl said yes to forever."


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The Jersey Shore star said yes to forever with justin in March, calling it, "The easiest question I've ever answered."


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"The most precious thing happened…," the Fantastic Four actor and his fianceé wrote in a joint Instagram on Jan. 20.


Brielle Biermann & Billy Seidl

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The Don't Be Tardy alum said yes to the minor league baseball player in February.


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"The greatest human I’ve ever met wants to marry me!!" the Bold and the Beautiful actress wrote of the producer on Jan. 14. "We’re engaged!!! I love you beyond measure @mark_bauch."


Brayden Bowers & Christina Mandrell

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The Bachelor in Paradise couple kicked off The Golden Bachelor wedding in January with a proposal.


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