Ryan Lochte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ryan Lochte

Lochte in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1984-08-03) August 3, 1984 (age 40) Rochester, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in
Weight	195 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, freestyle, individual medley
College team	University of Florida
Medal record Men's swimming Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 6 3 3 World Championships (LC) 18 5 4 World Championships (SC) 21 10 7 Pan Pacific Championships 8 4 0 Pan American Games 1 0 0 Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m backstroke Gold 2008 Beijing 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2012 London 400 m medley Gold 2012 London 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 200 m medley Silver 2012 London 200 m medley Silver 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Beijing 200 m medley Bronze 2008 Beijing 400 m medley Bronze 2012 London 200 m backstroke World Championships (LC) Gold 2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2007 Melbourne 200 m backstroke Gold 2007 Melbourne 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 200 m medley Gold 2009 Rome 400 m medley Gold 2009 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m backstroke Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m medley Gold 2011 Shanghai 400 m medley Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2013 Barcelona 200 m backstroke Gold 2013 Barcelona 200 m medley Gold 2013 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2015 Kazan 200 m medley Gold 2015 Kazan 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Kazan 4×100 m mixed freestyle Silver 2007 Melbourne 100 m backstroke Silver 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley Silver 2007 Melbourne 400 m medley Silver 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2005 Montreal 200 m backstroke Bronze 2005 Montreal 200 m medley Bronze 2009 Rome 200 m backstroke Bronze 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2004 Indianapolis 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2006 Shanghai 200 m backstroke Gold 2006 Shanghai 200 m medley Gold 2006 Shanghai 400 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 100 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 200 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 400 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m backstroke Gold 2010 Dubai 100 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 400 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 4×100 m medley Gold 2012 Istanbul 200 m freestyle Gold 2012 Istanbul 100 m medley Gold 2012 Istanbul 200 m medley Gold 2012 Istanbul 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2012 Istanbul 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2012 Istanbul 4×100 m medley Gold 2014 Doha 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2004 Indianapolis 200 m medley Silver 2006 Shanghai 4×100 m medley Silver 2008 Manchester 200 m backstroke Silver 2008 Manchester 4×100 m medley Silver 2010 Dubai 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2012 Istanbul 200 m backstroke Silver 2014 Doha 200 m backstroke Silver 2014 Doha 200 m medley Silver 2014 Doha 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2014 Doha 4×100 m medley Bronze 2004 Indianapolis 200 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2012 Istanbul 100 m butterfly Bronze 2014 Doha 200 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Doha 100 m medley Bronze 2014 Doha 4×100 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2006 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m backstroke Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m medley Gold 2010 Irvine 400 m medley Gold 2010 Irvine 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2014 Gold Coast 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 100 m backstroke Silver 2006 Victoria 200 m medley Silver 2014 Gold Coast 100 m butterfly Silver 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo 4×200 m freestyle Representing the Florida Gators Event 1st 2nd 3rd NCAA Championships 7 1 3 Total 7 1 3 By race Event 1st 2nd 3rd 100 y backstroke 0 1 0 200 y backstroke 2 0 0 200 y medley 2 0 0 400 y medley 1 0 1 4×200 y freestyle 1 0 0 200 m medley 0 0 1 400 m medley 1 0 0 4×200 m freestyle 0 0 1 NCAA Championships Gold 2004 East Meadow 400 m medley Gold 2005 Minneapolis 200 y backstroke Gold 2005 Minneapolis 200 y medley Gold 2005 Minneapolis 4×200 y freestyle Gold 2006 Atlanta 200 y backstroke Gold 2006 Atlanta 200 y medley Gold 2006 Atlanta 400 y medley Silver 2005 Minneapolis 100 y backstroke Bronze 2003 Austin 400 y medley Bronze 2004 East Meadow 200 m medley Bronze 2004 East Meadow 4×200 m freestyle

Ryan Steven Lochte (born August 3, 1984) is an American swimmer. He has won 12 Olympic medals, making him one of the most successful swimmers in history. Only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have won more Olympic medals in swimming. Ryan Lochte is especially good at the backstroke and individual medley swimming styles. He also swims freestyle and butterfly.

Lochte has won many awards for his swimming. He has earned 90 medals in big international competitions. These include 6 Olympic gold medals and 39 world championship titles. He is known for how fast he kicks underwater. He also does very well in short course pools (25-yard and 25-meter pools). In 2012, he set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley.

In 2016, during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ryan Lochte faced a lot of attention. He and three other American swimmers were involved in an incident at a gas station. Lochte later apologized for not being completely honest about what happened. Because of this, he lost several major sponsors. The U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming suspended him for 10 months. He also had to do community service.

In 2018, Ryan Lochte was suspended from swimming for 14 months. This was because he received a special treatment that was not allowed by sports rules. He accepted the suspension right away.

Early Life and Swimming Beginnings

Lochte swimming in a 2009 meet

Ryan Lochte was born in Rochester, New York. His mother is from Havana, Cuba. His father has Dutch, English, and German family roots. Ryan has two older sisters and two younger brothers. When he was 12, his family moved to Florida. This was so his father could coach swimming there.

Ryan didn't take swimming seriously at first. His father would even send him to shower when he was playing around. But when he was 14, losing at the Junior Olympics changed his mind. He decided he was tired of losing. After that, he trained very hard and started winning.

College Swimming Career

Ryan Lochte went to the University of Florida. He studied sport management and finished college in 2007. He was part of the Florida Gators swimming and diving team. His coach was Gregg Troy.

While in college, Lochte was named the NCAA Swimmer of the Year twice. He won seven NCAA championships and seven Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships. He was also named an All-American 24 times. In 2006, during his last year, he won national titles in all three of his individual events. He set new records in the 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard backstroke. He also broke a long-standing record in the 400-yard individual medley.

International Swimming Career

2004–2005 Competitions

Lochte made his first Olympic team in 2004. He finished second to Michael Phelps in the 200-meter individual medley. He also joined the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Lochte and his teammates won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. They beat the strong Australian team. This was a big win because Australia hadn't lost that race in six years. Ryan also won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing right behind Michael Phelps.

Later in 2004, at the FINA Short Course World Championships, Lochte won a silver and a bronze medal. He also won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. In 2005, at the World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, he won two bronze medals. He also helped his team win gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

2006–2007 Successes

In 2006, at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Shanghai, Lochte had a fantastic performance. He won three individual gold medals. He set new world records in the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter backstroke. He also became the first man to swim the 100-meter backstroke in under 50 seconds.

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Australia, Lochte won his first individual gold medal at a major long course event. He beat Aaron Peirsol in the 200-meter backstroke and broke Peirsol's world record. This was a huge achievement. A short time later, he set another world record with his team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He also won three silver medals at this competition.

2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

Lochte (left) with Phelps (center) and Cseh (right) after winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter individual medley

Before the 2008 Olympics, Lochte competed in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He qualified for three individual events and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He often finished second to Michael Phelps in these races.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Lochte won a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley. In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, he helped his team win a gold medal and set a new world record. They were the first team to finish the relay in under seven minutes. Ryan then won his first individual Olympic gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke, setting another world record. He also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley.

2009 World Championships

Lochte at the 2009 National Championships

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Lochte continued his winning streak. He swam the second part of the men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He earned a gold medal with his teammates.

Since Michael Phelps wasn't competing in the 200 or 400-meter individual medley, Lochte won gold in both events. In the 200-meter individual medley, Lochte broke Phelps' world record. He also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke. In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Lochte swam the last part. His team won gold and broke their own world record by a tiny amount.

2010 Achievements

In 2010, Lochte won many titles at the National Championships. He beat Michael Phelps in the 200-meter individual medley for the first time in a major meet. At the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Lochte won six gold medals.

At the FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, Lochte made history. He became the first person to win seven medals at the Short Course Worlds. He also set world records in the 400-meter and 200-meter individual medley. He won gold medals in several other events too.

At the end of 2010, Lochte was named the World Swimmer of the Year. He also won the American Swimmer of the Year award. He won a total of 13 international medals that year, with 12 of them being gold.

2011 World Championships

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, Lochte won six medals: five gold and one bronze. He won gold in the 200-meter freestyle, beating Michael Phelps. He also set a new world record in the 200-meter individual medley, again finishing ahead of Phelps.

Lochte dominated the 200-meter backstroke, winning by a large margin. He then helped his team win the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. In his last event, the 400-meter individual medley, he won gold by over four seconds. Ryan said he was happy with his performance but knew he could swim even faster for the 2012 Olympics. He was again named World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year for 2011.

2012 Summer Olympics in London

Lochte after the 200m backstroke

At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Lochte qualified for the Olympic team in several events. He finished first in the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lochte won his first gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley. He also won a silver medal with the U.S. 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. He then won another gold medal with the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle team, swimming the first part and giving his team a big lead.

On the sixth night of the Games, Lochte swam two finals very close together. He won a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke. Half an hour later, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing behind Michael Phelps. This was the third Olympics in a row where Lochte won a medal in this event. His five medals in London brought his total to 11 Olympic medals. He planned to keep swimming through the 2016 Summer Olympics.

2013 World Championships

Lochte in 2013

At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Lochte won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In his first individual event, the 200-meter freestyle, he placed fourth.

Lochte then won his first individual gold medal by defending his title in the 200-meter individual medley. The next day, he also defended his title in the 200-meter backstroke. On the same day, he helped his team win the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. By winning this relay, Lochte became the first swimmer to win five gold medals in a row at the World Championships in this event.

2015 World Championships

Lochte after the 200m freestyle semifinal

Lochte competed in his sixth 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan. He made history by winning the 200-meter individual medley. This made him one of only two swimmers to win an event in four world championships in a row. He also won three relay medals, including a gold in the 4×100-meter mixed freestyle relay, where his team set a world record.

2016 Summer Olympics in Rio

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Lochte qualified for the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter individual medley.

In Rio, Lochte's first event was the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He swam the third part, giving the U.S. team a strong lead. His team won gold, bringing his total Olympic medal count to 12. This made him the second most decorated male Olympic swimmer ever, after Michael Phelps. He finished fifth in the 200-meter individual medley. This was his first time not winning a medal in this event at the Olympics.

2021 and Beyond

In June 2021, Ryan Lochte competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He swam in the 200-meter individual medley final but finished seventh, so he did not qualify for the Olympics. After the trials, Lochte said he was still dedicated to swimming. He mentioned that he wanted to teach young people how to swim.

TV Appearances and Pop Culture

Ryan Lochte has been very popular outside of swimming. Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, he earned a lot of money from deals with big companies like Speedo and Ralph Lauren. He has also been on the covers of famous magazines like Vogue and Time.

On TV, comedian Seth MacFarlane made fun of Lochte on Saturday Night Live. Lochte even appeared on TV shows like 30 Rock and 90210. He had his own reality show called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? in 2013, but it only lasted one season.

In 2016, Lochte competed on Dancing with the Stars. He finished in 7th place with his dance partner. He also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2019. In 2023, he was on the show The Traitors.

Personal Life

Sponsorships and Finances

After the 2016 incident, Ryan Lochte lost many of his sponsors. However, in 2017, a sports clothing company called TYR Sport signed him. In 2019, Lochte shared that he used to earn over $1 million a year from swimming and sponsors. But due to his past issues and spending habits, he lost a lot of money. He had to sell his large home and move into a smaller apartment.

Family Life

During the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ryan Lochte shared that he was dating Kayla Rae Reid. They got engaged in October 2016 and were married in January 2018. Ryan and Kayla now have three children together.

Images for kids

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  Lochte in 2018

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  Lochte swimming in a 2009 meet

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  Lochte (left) with Phelps (center) and Cseh (right) after winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter individual medley

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  Lochte at the 2009 National Championships

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  Lochte after the 200m backstroke

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  Lochte in 2013

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  Lochte after the 200m freestyle semifinal