Ryan Lochte – The Rio Possibles

During his career, Ryan Lochte has been somewhat overshadowed by Michael Phelps, but Lochte still has a chance to set several Olympic bests. The following details his current standings on the various Olympic lists, and what he can/will achieve with his performances in Rio.

By Competing in Rio, Ryan Lochte Will …

  • Appear in his 4th Olympics, equalling the @TeamUSA record for men swimmers, currently held by Michael Phelps and Jason Lezak, but Phelps will compete in his 5th Olympics in Rio, equalling the USA record currently held by Dara Torres.

If He Wins a Medal in Rio, Ryan Lochte Will …

  • Win his 12th Olympic medal, moving into 2nd among US men, in any sport, trailing only Michael Phelps, who will enter Rio with 22. Lochte will also equal three American female swimmers who have won 12 medals – Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin.
  • Move into 2nd among all male Olympic swimmers, trailing only Phelps. Lochte’s pre-Rio total of 11 Olympic swimming medals ties him with Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, among men, but also trails Thompson, Torres, and Coughlin, who are 2nd on the overall list behind Phelps.
  • Move into 7th among all male Olympians, with 12 medals, and that total of 12 medals will move him to 8th overall, among all Olympians, in any sport.
  • With an individual medal, move to 8th on the oldest individual medalist list in swimming. Lochte will turn 32 two days before the Rio Opening Ceremony. He is about 11 months older than Phelps.

If He Wins Two or More Medals in Rio, Ryan Lochte …

  • Will move into a tie for 4th place among all Olympians, with 13 medals, trailing only Phelps (22), Larysa Latynina (URS-GYM) (18), and Nikolay Andrianov (URS-GYM) (15). With 13 medals, Lochte would tie 4 other male Olympians – Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR-BIA), Borys Shakhlin (URS-GYM), Edoardo Mangiarotti (ITA-FEN), and Takashi Ono (JPN-GYM). Lochte would also move into second among @TeamUSA Olympians, trailing only Michael Phelps.
  • Could move into lone 4th place, with 14 medals, if he wins 3 medals.
  • May become the 4th Olympian to win at least 4 full sets of medals (4+ gold, 4+ silver, 4+ bronze), if he wins a silver and a bronze medal. This has previously been done only by Larysa Latynina (URS-GYM) (9-5-4), Takashi Ono (JPN-GYM) (5-4-4), and Dara Torres (USA-SWI) (4-4-4).

If He Wins a Gold Medal in Rio, Ryan Lochte …

  • Would win his 6th gold medal, and move to =14th among all male Olympians.
  • Would win his 6th gold medal, and move to =7th among all @TeamUSA Olympians.
  • Would win his 6th gold medal, and move to =6th among all @TeamUSA male Olympians.
  • Would win his 6th gold medal in swimming, and move to 4th among male Olympic swimmers, trailing Michael Phelps (18), Mark Spitz (9), and Matt Biondi (8). He would thus also be 4th among US male Olympic swimmers.
  • Would win his 6th gold medal in swimming, and move to 5th among Olympic swimmers, trailing Michael Phelps (18), Mark Spitz (9), Matt Biondi (8), and Jenny Thompson (8). He would thus also be 5th among US Olympic swimmers.
  • Could, with an individual gold medal, become the oldest individual gold medalist in swimming, currently held by Inge de Bruijn (NED-2004), who was 30-363 in the 50 free. Lochte will turn 32 two days before the Rio Opening Ceremony.
  • Could, with any gold medal, move to 3rd on the oldest gold medalist list in swimming, trailing only 2 @TeamUSA swimmers – Dara Torres, who was 33-162 in the 2000 medley relay; and Jason Lezak, who was 32-279 in the 2008 medley relay. Lochte will turn 32 two days before the Rio Opening Ceremony.