Ryan Lochte and his swimming career
The American swimmer and three times Olympic gold medallist Ryan Steven Lochte was born on the 3rd of August 1984. He has to his credit a list numerous world records along with national and international championship titles.
He was born in Canandaigua, New York and attended the Spruce High School in Port Orange, Florida. Ryan was awarded an athletic scholarship by the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he is currently living and training. He was under training by Gregg Troy and swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in all the National Collegiate Athletic Association and South-eastern Conference competitions from 2003 to 2006. The popular athlete is a model for Speedo and GQ magazines under the contract that he has signed for the Ford Modelling Agency.
Lochte is specialist in backstroke, freestyle and medley strokes in particular.
Ryan made it to the second spot, behind Michael Phelps in the 2004 U.S. Olympics trials in the 200 metre individual medley. He thus qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Ryan was also selected for the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay team for America. Along with other members of the relay team in the Summer Olympics 2004 at Athens, Lochte held off the Australian team in the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay. The other swimmers on the U.S. National team were Michael Phelps, Klete Keller and Peter Vanderkaay. He also managed to take away the silver medal behind Phelps in the 200 metre individual medley, ahead of George Bovell and Laszlo Cseh in Athens 2004.
Lochte followed that up by winning a silver medal in the 200 metre individual and medley and won a bronze in the 200 metre freestyle at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis. In the same championship, he also became the winner of the gold medal in the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay.
In 2005, Ryan Lochte was the winner of the bronze medal in the 200 metre backstroke and the 200 metre individual medley. Moreover, he became the winner of the gold medal and the world record marker in the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal.
At the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships at Shanghai, the American swimmer set a number of world record and won many titles. A new world record was set by Lochte in the 200 metre individual medley and the 200 metre backstroke in the same event. Lochte became the first man to finish the 100 metre backstroke in the 4 into 100 metre medley relay in the shortest time below the 50 second mark. Achieving the title of the male swimmer of the meet by FINA, he won his third gold medal in the 400 metre individual medley.
Ryan Lochte has to his record the gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke in the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia. In this particular event, he broke the world record setter, Aaron Peirsol’s winning streak in this particular event and also broke his world record in this race. Lochte set another world record with the same U.S. team which included Michael Phelps, Klete Keller and Peter Vanderkaay, in the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay. He won silver in the 100 metre backstroke and the 200 metre and 400 metre individual medleys. He defeated Piersol once again by 0.6 seconds in the 100 metre backstroke in the annual Mutual of Omaha Duel.
Ryan was the winner of the gold medal in the 4 into 100 metre freestyle in the final contest of the 2009 World Championships that took place in Rome. In the second event of the same championship, Lochte made a world record and tool away the gold medal in the 200 metre individual medley with a time of 1 minute and 54.10 seconds. While in the 200 metre backstroke final competition, the American athlete made it to the third spot and won a gold medal. On the basis of his brilliant performances, Lochte earned the title of male athlete of the year 2009 at the Golden Google Awards.
Ryan Lochte is currently competing at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
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