Decorated former Florida swimmer failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics
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Former Florida swimmer Ryan Lochte had the unfortunate luck that he shined and competed in the same time period as one of the best to ever do it, Michael Phelps. His arch-rival finally retired after the Rio 2016 Olympics where he finally had the chance to have the spotlight all to himself.
That went up in smoke after he finished seventh on Friday in the 200-meter individually medley final at the U.S. Olympic Trials, his strongest last chance to compete in a fifth Olympics games. The 36-year-old Lochte was attempting to become the oldest U.S. Olympic male swimmer in history.
He will always be remembered for his 12 Olympic medals, six for gold, but also the embarrassing international incident with Brazilian security guards at a gas station during the Rio Olympics. He spent five years trying to escape that shadow.
Lochte grew up from that incident and when he spent six weeks in rehab for alcohol addiction during a 14-month ban following an IV infusion of an illegal amount of a legal substance in May of 2018.
To train for this year’s Olympics, he reunited with his old coach at Florida Gregg Troy told The Athletic that he has noticed a more mature Lochte. He will most likely conclude his swimming career as the second-most decorated Olympic male swimmer behind Phelps.
After Lochte finished his final race in Omaha, Nebraska, he stepped out of the pool, hugged and congratulated the winner Michael Andrew.
“This ain’t the end of the road,” Lochte said, according to The Athletic. “There’s a lot more I want to accomplish in the sport of swimming, whether it’s in the pool or outside of the pool making swimming bigger — that’s my biggest goal. But I’m enjoying it. I’m having fun teaching these younger kids everything that I’ve learned and carrying the torch.”
