All-time backfire for cocky swim star as US gets nowhere near her prediction

Lilly King will leave Tokyo with medals but also her tail between her legs after she was way off the mark with her pre-Olympic predictions.

Lilly King was far from disgraced as she came out of her individual swims with two minor medals in Tokyo.

But the US star is probably regretting her bold pre-Games boast the American women could win every single individual swimming gold medal of the Games — especially considering she won neither of hers.

King created world headlines with her bold pre-Games call, with the boast recalling memories of Gary Hall Jr’s infamous “smash them like guitars” promise before the US fell to Australia in the Sydney Olympic 4x100m freestyle relay final 21 years ago.

“I think the (US) women, if we have the meet we can have, can win every single individual gold,” she said.

“That would be pretty cool, right? But really, just looking at it, I think that is a genuine possibility.”

Given King wasn’t able to produce her very best form in Tokyo, her silver medal in Friday’s 200m breaststroke final was a fantastic effort, pushing Tatjana Schoenmaker hard before the South African won in world record time.

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker (2nd R) reacts next to (from R) South Africa's Kaylene Corbett, USA's Annie Lazor and USA's Lilly King after winning the final of the women's 200m breaststroke final.

Silver medallist Lilly King of Team United States, gold medallist Tatjana Schoenmaker.

King took bronze in the 100m final earlier in the week and although compatriot Lydia Jacoby won that event, the prediction has been well off the mark — the US have won just two of the individual events so far in Tokyo, while Australia have won a meet-leading four.

To her credit, King handled Friday’s defeat with class, warmly embracing Schoenmaker in the pool after the South African’s incredible performance.

King went out fast and turned first at the halfway mark before Schoenmaker made her move to her reel her in.

“To be honest, I still feels so unreal,” she said, after becoming the first female South African to claim an Olympic swimming gold since 1996, when Penny Heyns swept the women’s 100 and 200 breaststroke.

“I think my emotions in the pool showed I was pretty shocked. “When we got to the last turn, it was like, it’s everyone’s race now, that was the hard part because I saw she (King) was turning with me.”

Originally published as All-time backfire for cocky swim star as US gets nowhere near her prediction