Ryan Lochte, the second most decorated swimmer in Olympic history

Ryan Achievements

Ryan Steven Lochte is an American competitive swimmer, born on 3^rd of August 1984, in Rochester, New York in the United States.

His parents are Ileana Lochte and Steve R. Lochte. Lochte also has siblings named; Megan Lochte, Devon Lochte, Brandon Lochte and Kristin Lochte.

Lochte is a 12-time Olympic medalist.  He has been crowned the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history. This is along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson.

This is measured by the total number of medals he has bagged. He is behind only Michael Phelps, who has attained the most medals in the history of the Olympics.

In the history of men’s swimming, Lochte’s seven individual Olympic medals rank second, again after Michael Phelps, second among all Olympic swimmers.

The swimming guru currently holds the world records in the 200-meter individual medley, for both long and short course.

Career progression

As part of the American teams, Lochte also holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle (long course) and 4×100-meter freestyle (mixed) relay.

Lochte is celebrated for his tremendous achievements.  This has earned him the SwimSwam’s Swammy Award for the United States, Male Swimmer of the Year in 2013.

He has also bagged the World Swimmer of the Year Award and the American Swimmer of the Year Award, two times.

His awards did not stop there, the swimming icon has also been named the FINA Swimmer of the Year, three times.

Lochte has also made history in the Olympics by winning a total of 90 medals in the major international competition.’

Here is the breakdown of the medals; 54 gold, 22 silver and 14 bronze. This span the Olympics, the World Championships, Pan American Games and Pan Pacific Championships, including six Olympic gold medals and 39 world championship titles.

Specialization

In his swimming life, Lochte specializes in the backstroke and individual medley. He is also a Freestyle and butterfly swimmer.

Ryan 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 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 fastest 200-meter individual medley, finishing in 1 minute 49.63 seconds.”

Suspension

On July 23, 2018, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) imposed a 14-month suspension from competition on Lochte because, on May 24th of that year, he received a ‘prohibited intravenous infusion.

“I have never taken a prohibitive substance,” Lochte told the media, “I have never attempted to gain any advantage by putting anything illegal in my body. This might cost me be on the sideline from the competition, but I’ll continue to train every day. I want nothing more than to earn the privilege to swim for my country in my fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

Net worth

Ryan Lochte’s estimated net worth according to reports is $8 million. However, Celebrity Net Worth says that number is closer to $6 million.

Also read: Things you did not know about Chad Le Clos, best African Swimmer

Salary

“During a 2019 episode of CNBC’s Back in the Game, he told Alex Rodriguez that his annual salary plummeted from “well over $1 million” to a yearly $75,000, with one remaining sponsor.”

Family

Lochte like many others is a family man. He married Kayla Rae Reid in the year 2016. They have two kids namely; Caiden Zane Lochte and Liv Rae Lochte.

Endorsements

Ryan has unfortunately lost major endorsement deals following the Rio de Janeiro scandal. He had dealt with companies like swimwear company Speedo USA, clothing line Ralph Lauren Corp, a mattress maker and a hair removal brand.

Charity Work

The star has also offered his support to society as a way of giving back. He has conducted several charity works on various grounds.

Ryan’s current charitable focus is with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (Duchenne) and the Mac Crutchfield Foundation. Ryan is the spokesperson for Parent Project and makes annual donations to the organization.

He has a special connection to Duchenne as the disease, unfortunately, took the life of a close relative. Ryan’s family is also involved in research for a cure.