Ryan Lochte

At 39 years old, Ryan Lochte has this physical status:

College career

Lochte studied at the University of Florida and graduated in 2007 with a major in sport administration. In National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) competitions from 2004 to 2007, Gregg Troy, a member of the Florida Gators swimming and diving team, swam for coach Gregg Troy. Lochte was the NCAA swimmer of the Year twice, a seven-time SEC champion, and a 24-time All-American at Florida. Lochte won national titles in all three of his individual competitions during his senior year, including US Open and American records in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke. In the 400-yard individual medley relay, Tom Dolan also broke NCAA records.

International career

Lochte finished second in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials in the United States. After placing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle final, he qualified for the 4200-meter freestyle relay team. Lochte, Klete Keller,, and Peter Vanderkaay all swam to discredit the Australian team and win the gold medal in the 4200-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. It was the first loss for the Australian team in six years. He just barely beat George Bovell and László Cseh in the 200-meter individual medley to win the silver medal behind Phelps.

Lochte captured the silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley and the bronze in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis later this year. Chad Carvin, Dan Ketchum, and Justin Mortimer were also champions of the 4200-meter freestyle relay.

Lochte earned bronze medals in both the 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter individual medley at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal. Lochte won gold in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, alongside Phelps, Vanderkaay, and Keller, ahead of Canada and Australia.

Lochte earned three individual titles, one silver, and one bronze at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships in Shanghai, just two weeks after the 2006 NCAA Championships. He set new world records in both disciplines in the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter backstroke. In the first leg of the 4100-meter relay relay, he also set a new world record in the 100-meter backstroke, becoming the first man to complete the distance in less than 50 seconds. He won his third gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, a new championship record.

Lochte earned his first individual gold medal at a long course world championships in the 200-meter backstroke against compatriot Aaron Peirsol, breaking Peirsol's world record and his seven-year winning streak in the event. This was Lochte's first world record in a long course event. Lochte continued to set a world record in the 4200-meter freestyle relay with Phelps, Keller, and Vanderkaay a few minutes. He also won silver medals in the 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley, placing his medal total for the meet second only to Phelps.

Lochte participated in the annual Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, where he defeated Peirsol within a week of the world championships. He ended Peirsol's seven-year winning streak in the shorter of the backstroke events by 0.1 seconds, edging out Peirsol by 0.06 seconds.

Lochte competed in six individual competitions and qualified to swim in three individual events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Omaha, Nebraska. Also, Lochte was guaranteed a spot on the 4200-meter freestyle relay with his third-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Lochte finished second in his first competition, behind Phelps in the 400-meter individual medley. Both Lochte and Phelps finished below Phelps' previous world record in the event. Lochte finished third in his second event, the 200-meter freestyle, behind Phelps and Vanderkaay. Lochte came in third place behind Aaron Peirsol and Matt Grevers in the 100-meter backstroke final less than 30 minutes after the 200-meter freestyle final was decided. Lochte competed in the 100-meter freestyle on the next day, but the semifinals were canceled after. Lochte came in second place in the 200-meter backstroke two days after finishing second behind Peirsol, who equalled Lochte's world record. Lochte came in second place in the 200-meter individual medley, less than 30 minutes after the 200-meter backstroke final.

Lochte captured bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley, ahead of Phelps and Cseh in his first appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His time of 4:08.09 was two seconds slower than the time he swam in Omaha. Lochte swam the second leg of the 4200-meter freestyle relay in his second event. With Phelps, Ricky Berens, and Vanderkaay, he claimed his first gold medal and set his first world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56. The Americans were the first team to break the seven-minute mark in the relay and set a new record in Melbourne, Australia, of more than four and a half seconds. Lochte claimed his first individual gold medal and set a new world record in his third event, the 200-meter backstroke, defeating defending champion Peirsol. Lochte won the bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing behind Phelps and Cseh in the final of the 200-meter backstroke.

Lochte won individual medley titles at the 2009 National Championships, the 2009 World Aquatics Championships selection meeting. Lochte has also registered to swim in the 4100 and 4200-meter freestyle relay. Lochte came in second place in the 200-meter backstroke final, behind Aaron Peirsol, who lost his world record set in Beijing after Peirsol recorded a time of 1:53.08.

Lochte swam the second leg of the men's 4100-meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.03. He was awarded a gold medal in the event, as well as Phelps, Matt Grevers, and Nathan Adrian. The final time of 3:09.21 was a championship record and just ahead of Russia (3:09.52) and France (3:09.89). Lochte took gold in both events with Phelps not competing in the 200 or 400-meter individual medley at these championships. Lochte set a new world record of 1:54.23 in the 200 meters individual medley at 1:54.10. Lochte earned the bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke, behind Peirsol and Ryosuke Irie of Japan. Lochte swam the anchor leg in 1:44.46 seconds in the 4200-meter freestyle relay final. Lochte won the gold medal and his team set a new world record by a time of 6:58.55, combining Phelps, Berens, and David Walters.

Lochte won individual titles in the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medley, and the 400-meter individual medley at the 2010 National Championships, the qualifying meet for the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and 2011 World Aquatics Championships. He also placed second in the 100 and 200-meter freestyles. Lochte's victory in the 200-meter individual medley was the first time he had defeated Phelps in a major national or international meet. Lochte earned a total of six gold medals at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. The 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter freestyle, 200 and 400-meter individual medleys, and 4100 and 4200-meter freestyle relays were among his accomplishments.

Lochte was the first individual to win seven medals at the Short Course World Championships in Dubai, and the first individual to do so since body-length swimsuits were banned from swimming. Lochte captured gold in the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter freestyle, all individual medley relay (100, 200, 400), and a 4100-meter medley relay in Dubai. He also took silver in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. Lochte's world records in Dubai were unbrokered, first in the 400-meter individual medley and then in the 200-meter individual medley. Both world records were shattered by large margins.

Lochte was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine at the end of the year. FINA Aquatics World Magazine also named him as the year's best male swimmer of the year in 2010. Lochte received a total of 13 international awards, 12 of which were gold, in 2010.

Lochte received a total of six medals, five gold medals, and one bronze at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships. Lochte earned his first medal, a bronze, in the 4100-meter freestyle relay for his contributions in the heats. Lochte ran a time of 48.28, down from the 47.98 he set last year in Irvine. Lochte took the gold in his second event, the 200-meter freestyle, finishing a time ahead of Michael Phelps who ran in 1:44.79. It was Lochte's first gold in the long course World Championships. Lochte won the 200-meter individual medley event in a world record time of 1:54.99, better than Michael Phelps' time of 1:54.16. Lochte dominated the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:52.96, over a second behind second-place finisher Ryosuke Irie. Lochte competed in the 4200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, and Ricky Berens shortly after finishing the 200-meter backstroke. Lochte was able to make up a deficit from France for the victory after swimming the anchor leg in 1:44.56. The relay's record was 7:02.67.67. Lochte's last contest, the 400-meter individual medley, maintained his dominance with a victory in a time of 4:07.13. Tyler Clary, his closest competitor, finished in 4:11.17, over four seconds behind.

Lochte said he was happy with his results at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, but believes he will do better work before the 2012 Olympics. "It's certainly awesome to get five gold medals, but I'm sure it's going to be a lot faster." "I'm sure I missed out on a few places in my races that I messed up on." I suppose I could have improved and gone faster, but I guess I have a year to ensure I have those perfect swims."

Lochte was named the Year Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine at the end of the year, and defended his titles from 2010. FINA Aquatics World Magazine named him FINA male swimmer of the year for 2011 and defended the title.

Lochte qualified for the Olympic team by finishing first in the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley and second in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the qualifying meet for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Lochte came close to finishing third in the individual 100-meter butterfly.

Lochte captured his first gold medal of the games in the 400-meter individual medley at the Olympics in London in 4:05.18. While presenting himself as the best in the world today, Lochte acknowledged Phelps' greatness in his first medal of the 2012 Olympics and head-to-head battle with fellow American and world record holder Michael Phelps.

Lochte earned a silver medal with the United States' 4th century relay team, losing out to the French team in a 47.74 split, a full second slower than French finishing swimmer Yannick Agnel and six tenths of a second slower than teammate Phelps.

Lochte came in fourth place in the 200-meter freestyle event. He matched his gold with the United States 4200-meter freestyle team in a gold medal match, however. Lochte swam the first split and gave the US team a commanding lead, which it never relinquished.

Lochte swam his last two finals on the sixth night of the Games, with only 30 minutes in between. He received the bronze medal in the 200m backstroke, behind compatriot Tyler Clary and Japan's Ryosuke Irie. His time of 1.53.94 was compared to the time he swam four years ago when he claimed the gold medal at the 2008 Games, which was then a world record. In the 200m individual medley, Lochte defeated Phelps half an hour later. Phelps earned his silver medal behind Phelps in what was expected to be the last head-to-head match of their careers at the time, after Phelps retired following the Games. Lochte earned a medal in the 200m individual medley for the third time in a row.

His five medals brought his total number to 11 Olympic medals, tied for second place for male swimmers with compatriots Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, behind only Phelps. His seven individual Olympic medals are the second-most in men's Olympic swimming, beating Zoltán Halmay and Mark Spitz, who captured six medals.

Lochte has confirmed that he will continue swimming in Rio de Janeiro's summer Olympics. He is also considering investigating new events.

Lochte, along with Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, and Jimmy Feigen in the 4100-meter freestyle relay, finishing second behind France in his first appearance at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona. Lochte's second leg was a split of 47.80, and the team finished in a time of 3:11.44. Lochte's first solo event, the 200-meter freestyle, was unsuccessful in defending his title and finishing fourth in the final in a time of 1:45.64. Lochte earned his first individual medal of the competition, a gold, by defending his title in the 200-meter individual medley, a time of 1:54.98. Lochte defended his title in the 200-meter backstroke on the day after his 200 medley gold medalist run, running a time of 1:53.79 in the final. Lochte, along with Conor Dwyer, Charlie Houchin, and Ricky Berens, won the 4200-meter freestyle relay on the same day as winning the 200-meter backstroke and qualifying for the final. Lochte completed the second leg with a time of 7:01.72, and the team finished with a split of 1:44.98. Lochte was the first swimmer to win 5 consecutive gold medals at the World Championships in the 4200-meter freestyle relay (while also being the first swimmer, along with compatriot Michael Phelps, to win the 4200-meter freestyle relay Olympic Gold Medal on three separate occasions).

Lochte finished 6th in the final on the next day in the 100-meter butterfly, just off his semifinal time of 51.48.

In 2015, Lochte competed in his sixth World Championships in Kazan. He made history by winning the 200-meter individual medley, becoming the first individual other than Grant Hackett to win an event in four consecutive world championships. Despite that, he came in fourth in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:45.83, just off the podium. In addition, Lochte has won three relay titles. Lochte commanded the 4200-meter freestyle relay in 1:45.71, but the US team couldn't hold on as the United Kingdom pulled off a big surprise and defeated the US team 7:04.33 to 7.04.75. Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel, and Missy Franklin were all involved in the winning and world record-breaking 4100-meter mixed freestyle relay. Lochte was also a member of the 4100-meter relay team and received a gold medal for his efforts after the finals team won the finals tournament.

Lochte placed third in the 400-meter individual medley at the United States Olympic Trials, the United States' qualifying meet for the Rio Olympics, only missing out on an Olympic spot. He missed his second chance to make the team in a team competition by placing fourth, but he still earned a relay spot in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. Lochte finished second in the 200-meter individual medley behind Phelps, qualifying for an individual event.

Lochte's first competition in Rio was the 4200 meter freestyle relay, in which he swam both the morning heats and the finals. Lochte swam the third leg of the finals after Conor Dwyer and Townley Haas. The US had a commanding lead after Lochte's leg. At 7:00.66, Phelps led the relay to touch the wall first. Lochte's Olympic medal number increased to 12 total, making him the second most decorated male Olympic swimmer of all time, second only to Phelps.

In the 200-meter individual medley, Lochte came in 5th place. This was his fourth straight final appearance in the event, and the first time he did not win a medal.

Lochte and Jimmy Feigen robbed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the 2016 Summer Olympics after men forced them out of their taxi at gunpoint in the early morning hours. Lochte also charged that a pistol had been put up against his head. According to a police report, one or two of the athletes vandalized the gas station bathroom and destroyed a sign on the building, but investigative reporters discovered that the athletes had broken the sign but that they had neither entered the bathroom nor damaged bathroom equipment. Lochte later admitted in an interview that he had been inebriated and that he had "overblown the tale." However, his amended story sparked questions about the truth, and a witness who also translated between the security guards and the athletes said that the swimmers had abandoned to use the fuel station's toilet, destroyed the sign on the building, and that he stepped in when it was obvious that the proceedings were already out of control. He said that all sides understood that the money was being paid to compensate the loss, but that Lochte was inebriated or "very changed" at the time of the incident.

Lochte was charged with making a false assertion of a robbery during the 2016 Olympic Games in August, and if found, could face up to 18 months in prison. Lochte's allegations were later dismissed by a judge, who said that his conduct "did not rise to the point of submitting a false crime report." On August 30, 2016, he said he was uncertain whether he'd consider it a robbery, or extortion, or just paying for the poster being toppled." Lochte and the other swimmers did not enter the bathroom that they were suspected of vandalizing, according to investigation by USA Today, and the items that were reportedly missing were neither broken nor new.

Lochte apologised for the gas station fire. USA Swimming banned Lochte from national and international competitions for ten months as a result of the incident. All four of Lochte's major sponsors had also dropped him. Nevertheless, TYR reported an apparel contract with Lochte in January 2017.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended Lochte for 14 months after the initiation of a'prohibited intravenous infusion on May 24 of this year.' "I have never attempted to gain any advantage by injecting something unlawful in my body," Lochte said in the media, although I may be on the sidelines from tournament, but I'll continue to train every day...I want nothing more than to qualify for my country in my fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020."

Even as the USADA outlaws "intravenous infusions of approved substances at volumes greater than 100 milliliters [3.4 US fl oz] in a 12-hour period without a special 'Therapeutic Use Exemption,' from Vox, Lochte had posted a snapshot, which had since been deleted, on Instagram "showing him receiving an intravenous injection of what he calls 'vitamins'."

Lochte swam 1:58.48 in the morning prelims of the 200-meter individual medley, ranking second and qualifying for the semifinals on June 17, 2021, the fifth day of competition at the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials. He ranked sixth in the evening semifinals and qualified for the final. Lochte finished seventh in the final with a time of 1:59.67, and was not qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Lochte joined Andrew and the swimming group in Michael Andrew's post-win interview for the 200-meter individual medley final. Lochte also said that being out of the Olympic Team was not the end of the road for him.

Lochte confirmed he was still committed to swimming, both in terms of competing and increasing the sport, and not retiring. He said that teaching youth how to swim was one of his swimming passions going forward.

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