Ryan Lochte

Ryan Steven Lochte is an American former competitive swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist, born on August 3, 1984. He is the third-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history by total medal count, behind Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky. Lochte's seven individual Olympic medals rank second in history in men's swimming, tied for second overall among all Olympic swimmers. During his career, he specialized in the backstroke and individual medley, while also competing in freestyle and butterfly events. He was noted for his underwater kicking speed and distance, as well as his dominance in short course swimming formats.

Lochte was born in Rochester, New York, to Ileana "Ike" Aramburu-Lochte and Steven R. Lochte. His mother is of Basque-Cuban descent and was raised in Havana, while his father is of Dutch, English, and German heritage. He grew up in Bristol, New York, attending Bloomfield Central Schools until his family relocated to Florida when he was 12 so his father could coach swimming. Lochte attended Spruce Creek High School, graduating in 2002. He later attended the University of Florida, graduating in 2007 with a degree in sport management. As a member of the Florida Gators swimming team under coach Gregg Troy, he was a two-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year, a seven-time NCAA champion, a seven-time SEC champion, and a 24-time All-American.

Lochte made his Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games, winning gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and silver in the 200-meter individual medley. At the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships, he set world records in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 200-meter individual medley. At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, he won his first individual long course world title in the 200-meter backstroke, breaking Aaron Peirsol's world record. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lochte won gold and set a world record in the 200-meter backstroke, won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and picked up bronze medals in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys.

Continuing his international success, Lochte broke the world record in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships. In 2010, he won six gold medals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and seven medals at the FINA Short Course World Championships, setting individual world records in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys on consecutive days. At the 2012 FINA World Championships in Istanbul, he set a then-world record of 50.71 seconds in the 100-meter individual medley and posted a then-fastest time of 1:49.63 in the 200-meter individual medley.

Over his career, Lochte won 90 medals in major international competitions, including six Olympic gold medals and 39 world championship titles. His achievements earned him SwimSwam's Swammy Award for U.S. Male Swimmer of the Year in 2013, the World Swimmer of the Year Award, the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice, and the FINA Swimmer of the Year award three times. He also holds the world record in the long course 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

Lochte was involved in international controversy during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after falsely alleging that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police officers. It was later revealed they had a dispute with gas station security guards following acts of vandalism. The incident led to a 10-month suspension by the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, 20 hours of community service, loss of major sponsorships, and charges in Brazil for falsely reporting a crime, which were dismissed by a Brazilian court in 2017. In July 2018, Lochte accepted a 14-month suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after receiving a prohibited intravenous infusion.