Ryan Lochte, one of the most brilliant American swimmers, is a multiple world record holder, who specializes in individual medley and backstroke. He is also a freestyle relay swimmer. To know more about him, read on.
Swimming, one of the most popular sports throughout the world, has earned a prestigious position in the list of Olympic sports. With Michael Phelps winning his eighth gold at the Olympics, swimming received greater impetus. Ryan Lochte, a talented swimmer of America, who is next in order to Phelps in the total medal count, is a record-maker and a record-breaker. Let us take a look at his life and career.
Born on August 3, 1984, Ryan Lochte is an American swimmer, who has made several world records and made his country proud. He was born in Canandaigua, New York. He was a student of the Spruce Creek High School in Florida and he graduated from the University of Florida. During his college years, he participated in the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships of 2006. Ryan Lochte won titles in all three individual events. This victory of Lochte was indeed record-setting, as he made a record in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley.
Tom Dolan held the world record in 400 m individual medley for around eight years. He is from the United States, and is a gold and silver medal winner of the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the gold medal winner of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Lochte broke Tom Dolan's record in 400-yard individual medley. He emerged victorious in the 4x100 yard medley relay and made a US Open and American record in 100-yard backstroke. During his senior year at college, Ryan won the title of
Swimmer of the Meet.
The international career of Ryan Lochte began with a 200 m individual medley at the Olympics. He qualified for the 4x200 m freestyle relay team. He secured the second position in the 200 m individual medley and won the silver medal, where he stood second to Phelps. In the FINA Short Course World Championships of 2004 held in Indianapolis, Lochte won a silver medal in the 200 m individual medley, a bronze medal in freestyle and a gold in 4x200 freestyle relay.
The 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships followed the NCAA Championships two weeks later. During this sports event, Lochte won the same titles that he had won at the NCAA Championships. He set world records by winning the 200 m backstroke and the 200 m individual medley. Lochte was the first swimmer to complete a distance of 100 m in 50 seconds. He made a new American record by winning the gold in the 400 m individual medley. FINA honored Ryan Lochte by naming him the
Male Swimmer of the Meet.
In 2005, the World Aquatics Championships were held in Montreal, Canada. This was when Ryan Lochte won bronze medals in 200 m backstroke and individual medley, and a gold medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay. The relay team earned a gold, thus setting an American record.
In 2007, the World Aquatics Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia. During this event, Lochte won the gold medal in the long course event, setting a world record for this event. He won the gold in the long course world championship in the 200 m backstroke, thus breaking the record of Aaron Peirsol, an Olympic-level swimmer renowned for winning gold medals in the backstroke at Athens. With Klete Keller, Peter Vanderkaay and Michael Phelps, Lochte made a world record in the 4x200 freestyle relay. He won silver medals in 100 m backstroke, the 200 m individual medley as also the 400 m individual medley. This achievement placed his name second to Phelps in the total medal count. After the world championships, Lochte took part in the annual Mutual of Omaha Duel where he beat Peirsol, breaking his record in the 100 m backstroke.
On June 29, 2008, both Ryan Lochte and Phelps broke the world record at the Olympic trials. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lochte won the bronze medal in the 400 m IM event. On August 14, 2008, he won the gold medal in the 200 m backstroke.
In the 2009 National Championships, Lochte won the 200 and 400 m individual medleys. In the 200 m backstroke final, Peirsol took the first place, pushing Lochte to the second, while also breaking the record set by Lochte in Beijing. In the World Aquatic Championships of the same year, Lochte swam the second leg of the men's 4x100 m freestyle and won a gold. He won golds in the 200 and 400 m individual medleys. In the 200 m backstroke, he won a bronze. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay final, Lochte, with Phelps, Berens, and David Walters won the gold medal.
The 2010 National Championships saw Lochte win titles for 200 m backstroke and 200 and 400 m individual medleys, and secure the second position in 100 and 200 m freestyle. In the 200 m individual medley, he defeated Phelps. It was the first time he defeated him in a major event. In the FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai in the same year, he was the first one in history to win seven medals at the Short Course Worlds.
In the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, he won a bronze in 4x100 m freestyle relay and a gold in the 200 m freestyle event. He finished the 200 m individual medley in 1:54 and made a world record. The Swimming World Magazine declared him as the
World Swimmer of the Year and
American Swimmer of the Year. He was also honored with the title of
FINA male swimmer of the year.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lochte won a gold in 400 m individual medley, a silver in 4x100 m freestyle relay, and a gold in the 4x200 m freestyle (he swam the first split). He won a bronze in 200 m backstroke, a silver in 200 m individual medley (winning it for the third time in succession at the Olympics).
In the 2013 World Championships, he won a gold in the 200 m individual medley. He won the 200 m backstroke and the 4x200 m freestyle relay. With this, he became the first one to win five consecutive golds in 4x200 m freestyle relay at the World Championships.
The United States looks forward to more from this talented swimmer, Ryan Lochte.
