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Ryan Steven Lochte OLY (/ˈlɒkti/ LOK-tee; born August 3, 1984) is an American former[2] competition swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. He is the third-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by total number of medals, behind only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.[3] Lochte's seven individual Olympic medals rank second in history in men's swimming (again to Michael Phelps), tied for second among all Olympic swimmers. He currently holds the world records in the 200-meter individual medley, and, as part of the American team, in the 4×200-meter freestyle (both long course).
Lochte's success has earned him SwimSwam's Swammy Award for U.S. Male Swimmer of the Year in 2013,[4] the World Swimmer of the Year Award, and the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice. He has also been named the FINA Swimmer of the Year three times. He has won a total of 90 medals in major international competition (54 gold, 22 silver, and 14 bronze) spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, Pan American Games, and Pan Pacific Championships, including six Olympic gold medals and 39 world championship titles.
Lochte specializes in the backstroke and individual medley but is also a freestyle and butterfly swimmer. He is noted for the speed and distance he attains while kicking underwater. Lochte is also known for his dominance in the short course format (25-yard and 25-meter-long pools). Lochte swam the 100-meter individual medley in a then-world record 50.71 seconds on December 15, 2012, at the FINA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. At this same event, he is also credited with swimming the then-fastest 200-meter individual medley, finishing in 1 minute 49.63 seconds.[5]
In 2016, Lochte generated international controversy when he claimed that he and three other American swimmers had been pulled over and robbed by armed men with police badges while in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[6][7][8][9] While initial news stories reported that Lochte and three other US swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint after a night out in Rio, later details emerged that the "armed robbers posing as police" were actually security guards at a gas station where the swimmers had urinated outside the bathroom and Lochte allegedly vandalized a framed poster, and ended with the swimmers providing money to the guards. Some of the swimmers were detained in Brazil as witnesses. Ultimately, the athletes each released statements, and one swimmer paid a fine of approximately $10,800 to a Brazilian charity in order to get his passport back. Lochte apologized for not being more candid about the gas station dispute, and subsequently lost four major sponsorships. On September 8, both the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming suspended Lochte for 10 months and Bentz, Conger, and Feigen for four months.[10] Additionally, Lochte was required to complete 20 hours of community service, and Bentz was required to complete 10 hours.[10] All were made ineligible for financial support during their suspensions, removed from the U.S. Olympic delegation to the White House, barred from U.S. Olympic training centers, and blocked from attending USA Swimming's year-end Golden Goggles celebration.[10] Lochte was charged in Brazil with falsely reporting a crime. The scandal gained significant media attention both during the games and after their conclusion.[11] In July 2017, the court in Brazil dismissed the charges against Lochte, saying his actions "did not rise to the level of filing a false crime report."[12]
On July 23, 2018, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency imposed a 14-month suspension from competition on Lochte because he had received a "prohibited intravenous infusion." Lochte immediately accepted the sanction.[13] On May 24, 2018, the same day he had received the infusion, Lochte had posted a picture – since deleted – on Instagram "showing him receiving an intravenous injection of what he says were 'vitamins'," even though the USADA bans "intravenous infusions of permitted substances at volumes greater than 100 millilitres [3.5 imp fl oz; 3.4 US fl oz] in a 12-hour period without a special 'Therapeutic Use Exemption'," Vox reported.[14]
- ^ a b "Ryan Lochte". teamusa.org. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ "Ryan Lochte on why he doesn't display medals, post-retirement depression and his Olympic scandal". YouTube. July 26, 2024.
- ^ Sutherland, James (August 10, 2016). "Ryan Lochte Becomes 2nd Most Decorated Male Olympic Swimmer In History". Swimswam. Retrieved August 10, 2016. Although Lochte has more total medals than Mark Spitz (12 versus 11), nine of Spitz's 11 medals were gold, compared to Lochte's six.
- ^ "2013 Swammy Award: Jeah for the US Male Swimmer of the Year". swimswam.com. January 7, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^ Glenday, Craig (2013). Guinness World Records 2014. 2013 Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 258. ISBN 978-1-908843-15-9.
- ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Mather, Victor (August 14, 2016). "Ryan Lochte and Three Teammates Robbed at Gunpoint". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
- ^ "Police seek indictment of Ryan Lochte, Jimmy Feigen". ESPN. August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
- ^ Sheinin, Dave (August 18, 2016). "As Ryan Lochte's story unravels, three teammates remain detained for questioning". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ "'Ryan was very evasive': How Lochte's robbery story started to unravel". National Post. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Ryan Lochte suspended 10 months by United States Olympic Committee, USA Swimming". ESPN. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Cassandra Garrison; Caroline Stauffer (August 19, 2016). "Two U.S. swimmers land in Miami after Olympic Committee apology". Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Ryan Lochte: Court dismisses robbery claim charges against US swimmer. BBC News, July 16, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ "US Swimming Athlete Ryan Lochte Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation", 23 July 2018 press release by US Anti-Doping Agency, Colorado Springs, CO Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ Irfan, Umair; Belluz, Julia (July 27, 2018). "Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte broke doping rules. It happens far more than you think". Vox. New York City. Retrieved July 27, 2018.