TOKYO — Lilly King has seen the same headlines that Katie Ledecky has. The ones that say American athletes “settle for silver.” The ones that equate bronze to loss. Ledecky tries to laugh them off. King, the most outspoken American swimmer here in Tokyo, did more than laugh on Friday.
“Excuse my French,” she said, “but the fact that we don't celebrate silver and bronze is bulls—.”
She was speaking, generally, to the gold-or-bust attitude that underlies American participation in the Olympics. It’s abundant among media and fans. It’s especially applicable to people like King, who hadn’t been beaten in a 100-meter breaststroke final in 5 1/2 years entering these Games.