What records does Ryan Lochte hold?

Lochte is among the most decorated male swimmers of all time. His seven individual Olympic medals rank behind Michael Phelps' tally as the second most in the history of Olympic swimming. The American heartthrob has won 12 Olympic medals, including five gold, three silver, and three bronze medals.

Lochte is the only swimmer of the golden era still professionally active. In 2021, he swam at the Tokyo Olympic trials, where he failed to qualify for the Olympics but put on a show for everyone in attendance, swimming against athletes half his age. To this day, the 38-year-old holds the world record for the 200 individual medley (short and long) and the 4×200-meter freestyle.

Ryan Lochte of the United States poses with his gold medal after winning a new world record time on the Men's 200m Individual Medley Final during Day Thirteen of the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center on July 28, 2011, in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

200 individual medley (long course)

Before Lochte came onto the scene, Michael Phelps set and broke his own world record for six years from 2003 to 2008. The time to beat was established in 2008 when Phelps swam 1:54.23 at the Olympics in Beijing.

At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the veteran swam in the 200 IM finals and shocked the world as he broke the long-standing record with a time of 1:54.10. He bettered his record at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, where he won a total of six medals, five golds, and one bronze. In the 200 IM finals, Ryan finished in front of Phelps with a time of 1:54.00, setting a new world record. This record will celebrate its 13th anniversary this year.

Ryan Lochte of USA poses with his Gold medal on the podium after winning the Men's 200m Individual Medley Final during day three of the 11th FINA Short Course World Championships at the Sinan Erdem Dome on December 14, 2012, in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

200 individual medley (short course)

The American swimmer is known for his versatility in the sport. He specializes in long-course swimming, but his talents span all forms of the sport. In the 200 IM finals at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, Lochte broke South African swimmer Darian Townsend's record with a time of 1:50.08. He beat his own record at the 2012 Short Course Championships in Istanbul, becoming the only swimmer in history to go under the 1:50.00 barrier with a time of 1:49.63. More than a decade after the record was set, nobody has even come close to Lochte.

David Walters, Ricky Berens, Ryan Lochte, and Michael Phelps of the United States receive the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the Men's 4x 200m Freestyle Final at the 13th FINA World Championships at the Stadio del Nuoto on July 31, 2009, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

4×200-meter freestyle relay

Lochte is a great team player and has won many medals for the US swimming team. The most prominent team event that stands apart to this day is the 4×200-meter freestyle his team swam at the 2009 World championships in Rome. The record stands at 6:58.55, with Locthe's swim recorded at 1:44.46.

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Lochte is still going strong

At the age of 38, Ryan is still swimming professionally. He spoke to Graham Bensinger of the In Depth show before the 2020 US Olympic Trials and said he swims to prove something he holds dear to himself:

"I want to prove to everyone that thy are wrong, that I can still do it, and age is just a number."

After the trials, he revealed that he shunned any questions about his retirement, stating that he would only retire when he stopped having fun.