Ryan Lochte
Ryan Lochte is a prominent American swimmer, born in 1984 in upstate New York and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. He began swimming competitively at the age of nine, influenced by his parents, both of whom were swim coaches. Lochte gained recognition for his talent early on, achieving top finishes at the US National Championships throughout high school. He attended the University of Florida, where he excelled and earned multiple accolades, including a Southeastern Conference swimmer of the year title.
Lochte's Olympic journey began with a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games, followed by significant success in subsequent competitions, including multiple gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Known for his vibrant personality and unique style, including a notable diamond-studded tooth grill, Lochte has had a storied career marked by both triumphs and controversies, such as a false robbery claim during the 2016 Rio Olympics that led to a suspension. Despite setbacks, including a doping suspension in 2018, he continues to contribute to the sport by teaching swimming to youth in Cincinnati, Ohio, fostering the next generation of swimmers. Lochte's competitive legacy includes a total of 12 Olympic medals, showcasing his status as one of the sport's elite athletes.
Ryan Lochte
Swimmer
- Born: August 3, 1984
- Place of Birth: Rochester, New York
SPORT: Swimming
Early Life
Ryan Steven Lochte was born in 1984 in upstate New York. As a young swimmer, he was coached by his mother, Ike, and father, Steve. He started swimming competitively at the age of nine. Both of his parents coached swimming, therefore competing in the sport seemed natural to Ryan. However, he often fooled around during practice and near the pool. Nonetheless, though he impersonated a slacker, he swam with determination.
When Lochte was eleven, he moved with his family from New York to Daytona Beach, Florida, where his father became aquatics director at a local YMCA. By the year he graduated from Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida, Lochte had swum three top-ten race times at the US National Championships. His best finish was fourth place in the 800-meter freestyle. His mother was stunned; she had promised to buy him a video game system if he did well. Lochte, a keen competitor, was spurred on by stiff swimming competition in Florida.
The Road to Excellence
At the age of eight, Lochte watched Pablo Morales win a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1992 Olympics. Lochte thought he could represent his country and win a gold medal. It took him twelve years to make a reality of his dream, working with his parents and University of Florida head swim coach Gregg Troy. Beginning in 2002, Troy focused Lochte’s attention on the 2004 Olympics. During his first year at the University of Florida, Lochte was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) male swimmer of the year, SEC freshman of the year, and SEC male high-point-award winner.
An outstanding high school swimmer, Lochte earned a scholarship at the University of Florida, one of the best college swim teams in the country. He also majored in sports management. As a sophomore, he was undefeated during the regular season in nine separate events. One of the best all-around swimmers in the history of college competition, Lochte broke US Open and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) short-course records in the 400-yard individual medley.
At six feet two inches and 190 pounds, Lochte earned a reputation as a spontaneous and laid-back guy who was always ready to play a joke. However, once the starter’s signal sounded when he was in the blocks, he was a serious competitor. Between his sophomore and junior years at Florida, Lochte qualified for the 2004 US Olympic team in the 200-meter individual medley and the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. In Athens, he advanced to the 200-meter individual medley final and swam the second-fastest time in Olympic history, taking the silver medal behind Michael Phelps. The two swimmers were part of the gold-medal-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team. The team, which also included Klete Keller and Peter Vanderkaay, upset the favored Australian squad.
The Emerging Champion
After the 2004 Olympics, Lochte continued to improve. At the 2006 NCAA men’s swimming and diving national championships, held at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia, he won three individual events, setting US national short-course records in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke.
At the 2006 World Short Course Swimming Championships, Lochte won the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter backstroke in world-record time. He set an American record at the same meet, swimming the backstroke leg in the 4x100-meter medley relay. In the race, he became the first person to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than fifty seconds. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) named him the male swimmer of the meet.
Continuing the Story
In 2006, after graduating from college, Lochte signed a ten-year, seven-figure endorsement contract with Speedo. At the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia, he won his first individual gold medal in a long-course (50-meter) world championship meet, beating American Aaron Peirsol in the 200-meter backstroke. Thus, he broke Peirsol’s world record in the event as well as his seven-year winning streak.
Lochte has been known for his flamboyance during award ceremonies, occasionally sporting a silver, diamond-studded tooth grill, an accessory often used by rap artists. He wore the grill at a medal ceremony during the 2007 World Swimming Championships and nearly laughed it out of his mouth when Phelps broke up giggling at the sight.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Lochte won a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke, setting a long-course world record at 1:53.94. Peirsol took silver in 1:54.33. Peirsol had narrowly beaten Lochte at the Olympic trials weeks earlier. This was Lochte’s first individual Olympic gold medal. He also shared a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and won bronze medals in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys.
After the 2008 Olympics, Lochte continued to train in Daytona Beach. In addition to practice, Lochte was able to win more medals by competing in the Pan Pacific Championships, where he earned one more gold medal than Phelps for a total of six, and the 2011 FINA World Championships, where he set a new global record in the 200-meter individual medley.
While fans and commentators had high hopes for Lochte entering the 2012 Olympics in London, England, he did not perform as well as expected. He won two gold, two silver, and one bronze to bring his Olympic medal total to eleven. Intending to compete in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he also took on further challenges in the 2013 FINA World Championships. Amidst speculation that he would become Phelps's successor following his retirement announcement, Lochte became only the fourth man to win the same race at three consecutive world championships by once more taking the gold in the 200-meter individual medley. However, he also suffered a torn MCL and sprained ACL after hitting his knee on a curb when a fan unexpectedly jumped into his arms while he was in Florida that year. In 2015, he repeated the same feat at the FINA World Championships, increasing the record to five consecutive wins in the event. The media reported that Lochte had recovered from his injuries and was prepared for the next Olympics.
Lochte returned to the Olympics to compete at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lochte walked away from the Games with one gold medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay. It was his behavior outside of the pool that made more of a buzz than his swimming. Lochte and three other US swimmers, Gunnar Bentz, James Feigen, and Jack Conger, were out in Rio de Janeiro and claimed to have been mugged and held at gunpoint at a gas station. This story was contradicted by police and surveillance video, both of which claimed Lochte and the other swimmers vandalized the bathroom at the station and were disruptive after being confronted by police about the vandalism. The swimmers later admitted that they had lied about the robbery. Lochte was suspended from US Swimming for ten months following the event.
Upon returning from Rio de Janeiro, Lochte appeared on the twenty-third season of Dancing with the Stars. During the series premiere, which aired on September 13, 2016, two audience members rushed the stage in protest of Lochte's behavior during the Olympics. They were arrested, and no one was injured.
In May 2018, the US Anti-Doping Agency suspended Lochte for fourteen months after he received an intravenous infusion the agency deemed prohibited. The incident came to the agency's attention after Lochte posted the infusion session on social media. Lochte maintained the infusion was vitamins and that he never ingested substances to gain a competitive advantage. He later failed to qualify at the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials. In 2024, he began teaching youth how to swim in Cincinnati, Ohio, giving back to his community and training the next generation of Olympic athletes.
Summary
By 2008, Ryan Lochte had become a world-class swimmer in the individual medley, backstroke, and freestyle events. Well-known for the length he is able to kick underwater, Lochte has been a rival of Phelps in the individual medley and Peirsol in the backstroke. However, the three swimmers have remained friends.
Bibliography
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Chiles, Richard. "Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte Teaches Swim Lessons in Mason." WLWT Cincinnati, 8 June 2024, www.wlwt.com/article/olympic-swimmer-ryan-lochte-teaches-swim-lessons-in-mason/61046907. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Crouse, Karen. “With an Eye on Olympics, Lochte Is a Fish, in and out of Water.” New York Times, 28 Nov. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/sports/othersports/28swim.html.
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"Ryan Lochte." Team USA, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, www.teamusa.com/profiles/ryan-lochte-879683. Accessed 20 June 2024.