10 Rio Olympians Who Might End Up on the Upcoming Season of Dancing With the Stars
By Isobel Moody
Aug 13, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lilly King (USA) with her gold medal. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Lilly King, Swimming
They may or may not be asking Katie Ledecky, but if they have, I suspect she’s said no. She is one young woman who has refused to turn pro even though it would make her rich, and talked about how much she’s looking forward to focusing on school after the Games. It seems unlikely she’d ever consider Dancing with the Stars, especially when she has no need of them. This is, in fact, a problem with younger swimmers in general. It’s very common for them to be attending a university and swimming for their team, a time-consuming business. But if, after Ledecky makes clear she’s not game, they decide to try to sway another girl to balance school and dancing, Lilly King would be a tempting target.
King is newly risen to fame, attracting attention for not only winning a gold medal in the breaststroke (one of two, since she also took a relay gold), but raising her voice beforehand to blast the favorite for it, Julia Efimova, who really shouldn’t have been at the Games given her and her country’s combined doping history. There are legitimate questions as to whether scapegoating her for Russia’s sins was entirely appropriate. King’s also gotten criticisms from people who simply don’t like an outspoken woman. But to those who believe the entire Russian team should’ve been banned from the Games, King became an instant hero, and her upending Efimova to win that gold was a deeply satisfying moment. It’s a story Dancing with the Stars would love to capitalize on. The question is, does King feel like letting them?
Next: Anthony Ervin, Swimming