Ryan Lochte Information

Olympic Gold Medalist / Vandal
USA

Biography:
Ryan Lochte is an American competitive swimmer and a 12-time Olympic medalist (six gold, three silver, three bronze), which ranks him second in swimming behind Michael Phelps. His seven individual Olympic medals rank near the top in men's swimming. As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay (long course). Individually, he currently holds the world record in the 100-meter individual medley, 200-meter individual medley (long and short course), and the 400-meter individual medley (short course).

Lochte's success has earned him 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, Pan American, and Pan Pacific Championships.

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 swimming pools).

In 2016, Lochte generated international controversy when he falsely claimed that he and three other American swimmers had been pulled over and robbed by armed robbers with police badges while in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Summer Olympics. After surveillance video and a police report emerged that confirmed all of the swimmers' stories about the gun(s), Lochte stated in an interview that he had been drunk and that he "over-exaggerated that story" as the gun was at eye level when he sat down on the pavement. However the amended story raised concerns about the facts, and soon it emerged that Lochte had been accused of minor vandalism at the fuel station and that the main details of his initial story were true, but defended as repayment at gunpoint.