The U.S. team has already won some medals at the swimming events in Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Chase Kalisz was the first gold to the United States at these Games in Men’s 400 Individual Medley, while Jay Litherland and Kyrian Smith also were in the podium. However, the public have noticed that Ryan Lochte, one of the most famous American swimmers, isn’t going to compete this year.
Lochte is, behind Michael Phelps, the U.S. swimmer with most medals at the Olympics with twelve. He has won six gold, three silver and three bronze medals. In Rio 2016, his fourth Olympics, he won gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle and came in fifth in the 200m freestyle. But that wasn’t the only thing he was remembered for in those Games.
He was involved in controversy when he alleged that he and other three American swimmers were robbed by armed men disguised as the police at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro. However, the story was false and the athletes had actually vandalized the place. He was suspended for 10 months. Here, find out why he isn’t in Tokyo this year.
Why isn’t Ryan Lochte competing in Tokyo 2020?
At 36 years old, Ryan Lochte came to Omaha in June to qualify for the Olympics Games 2020 just coming out of a 14 month suspension for taking a “prohibited intravenous infusion” by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Athe trials, he ended up seventh in the 200-meter individual medley final, his signature event, 2.7 seconds too short to qualify.
After the trials, Lochte said he was still committed to competitive swimming and he still doesn’t think about retiring. In a video shared on his Instagram account, Lochte says: “I’m not done, I’m not retiring. (...) There’s so much more I want to do in the sport of swimming, whether it’s in the pool or outside of the pool, trying to grow the sport.”
Beside his success at the Olympics, he also is the owner of two world records for the 200m individual medley in the short and long course. Also, he has won 62 medals in the world championship from 2004 to 2015, including 36 gold medals.
