Olympian can refer to:

Magic and mythology[link]

• One of the Twelve Olympians
• One of the seven spirits described in Arbatel de magia veterum

Sport[link]

• A participant in the Olympic Games

Technology[link]

• Leyland Olympian, double decker bus
• Volvo Olympian, double decker bus
• Volvo Olympian (low-floor), also known as Volvo B9TL
• Olympian (passenger train), a train operated by The Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Seattle
• Olympian Hiawatha, the train that replaced the Olympian
• Olympian (sidewheeler) A large sidewheel steamboat that operated on Puget Sound, the Columbia River and other parts of the Pacific northwest from about 1884 to 1890
• Olympian (typeface), a typeface designed in 1970 by Matthew Carter

Newspapers[link]

• The Olympian, a daily newspaper based in Olympia, Washington

Fiction[link]

• Olympians (Marvel Comics)
• Olympian (comics), a superhero from DC Comics

Music[link]

• Olympian (album), an album by British rock band Gene

Places[link]

• Olympian High School a new high school in Chula Vista, California

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Shawn Johnson
Johnson at "Frosted Pink With a Twist" (breast cancer benefit) held in San Diego, California on September 14, 2008
Personal information
Full name	Shawn Machel Johnson
Nickname(s)	Peanut, Bubbly (ShawnJohnson on Twitter)[1][2]
Country represented	United States
Born	(1992-01-19) January 19, 1992 (age 20)[3] Des Moines, Iowa
Hometown	West Des Moines, Iowa
Height	4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m)[4]
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2004–2008, 2011
Club	Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute
Head coach(es)	Liang Chow
Assistant coach(es)	Liwen Zhuang
Music	August's Rhapsody from August Rush
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Summer Olympics Gold 2008 Beijing Balance beam Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2008 Beijing All-around Silver 2008 Beijing Floor World Championships Gold 2007 Stuttgart Team Gold 2007 Stuttgart All-around Gold 2007 Stuttgart Floor Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro All-around Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Uneven bars Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Balance beam Gold 2011 Guadalajara Team Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro Floor Silver 2011 Guadalajara Uneven Bars

Shawn Machel Johnson (born January 19, 1992) is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion. In 2009, Johnson became the winner of the season eight edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Personal life[link]

Johnson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the only child of Doug and Teri Johnson. Her parents enrolled her in a gymnastics class at age three after they noticed her climbing cabinets and jumping off tables. At age six, Johnson was one of Liang Chow's first students when he opened a gymnastics school in West Des Moines.^[5]

Johnson attended a public school, Valley High School.^[6] She was on the honor roll, attended football games, and participated in extra-curriculars.^[7] Through 2008, Johnson maintained a more balanced lifestyle than typical of elite female gymnasts.^[8] She limited her gymnastics training to 25 hours per week, as opposed to the more typical 40 hours.^[9]

Johnson left public school in the spring of 2009. She and her mother relocated to Los Angeles, California and she appeared on Dancing With the Stars. As of 2010, she finished high school with a private tutor.^[10][11]

Gymnastics career[link]

Junior career[link]

Pre-elite[link]

In 2004, Johnson competed in the Junior Olympics (U.S. Level 10) National Championships, finishing fourth in the all-around, first on beam, and second on floor.^[12]

As a youngster, Johnson was not scouted by USAG and her coach, Chow, had no interactions with the national staff. In 2005, Chow reached out to the National Team Coordinator, Marta Karolyi, sending her a video of Johnson, with the comment "I believe this kid will help the US team."^[13] Karolyi felt the action was audacious, "Wow, this coach is pretty confident",^[9] but she soon invited Johnson to national team training camps.

Junior elite[link]

Johnson qualified Junior International Elite on her first attempt^{[citation needed]}. She attracted widespread attention at the 2005 U.S. Classic, where she placed third. At the 2005 U.S. National Championships, Johnson fell from the beam on the first day of competition and finished tenth all-around.

In 2006, Johnson added several new tricks, including a Jaeger on bars, and two top-difficulty (G) skills, a full-in back-out dismount off beam and a double-twisting double back on floor. She won the 2006 U.S. Junior National All-Around Championship with a score higher than any of her senior elite competitors.^[14]

Senior career[link]

2007 pre-Worlds[link]

Johnson became a senior in 2007 and continued to show new skills, including a double-twisting double layout dismount off the uneven bars. She competed at the 2007 Tyson American Cup, winning the all-around over teammate Natasha Kelley. Johnson also competed in the 2007 Pan American Games, winning four gold medals (team, all-around, beam and bars) and a silver on floor.

Johnson won the all-around at the 2007 Visa U.S. National Championships, beating Shayla Worley by more than three points. Johnson also finished more than five points ahead of two-time National Champion Nastia Liukin, in the first of a series of face-offs over the next two years.^{[citation needed]}

2007 Panamerican Games[link]

Johnson took part in 2007 Panamerican Games. She won the team title, the all around title, the balance beam title and the uneven bars title. She was the silver medalist on floor.^[15]

2007 World Championships[link]

Johnson represented the U.S. at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships along with Nastia Liukin, Shayla Worley, Alicia Sacramone, Ivana Hong and Samantha Peszek.

In prelims (qualification), Johnson scored 16.250 on beam, 15.150 on floor, 15.175 on vault, and (with a fall on her dismount) 14.625 on bars. The U.S. finished first in prelims and Johnson qualified to the all-around, beam and floor finals.

Johnson performed all four events in the team finals; the only U.S. athlete to do this. Johnson scored 15.375 on bars and floor, and 15.150 on vault. She fell on the beam on her handspring-handspring-layout series and scored 15.025. The team won gold with 184.400 points, 0.950 ahead of silver-medal China. It was the second U.S. team gold in the World Championships.^[16][17]

In the all-around finals, Johnson scored a 15.175 on vault, 15.375 on bars, 15.900 on beam and 15.425 on floor. Her 61.875 total made her the fourth American woman to win the all-around gold medal.^[18]

During event finals, Johnson first competed on the balance beam, where she fell on her standing full and on her switch side leap, scoring a 14.475 and finishing last. In floor exercise, she went out-of-bounds on her first tumbling pass, but won the gold with a 15.250, just eclipsing teammate Sacramone.^[19]

2008 pre-Olympics[link]

Johnson competed again in the American Cup on March 1, 2008 in Madison Square Garden. On vault, she fell on her Amanar vault, scoring a 15.175. She stated^{[citation needed]} that her attempt to "stick" the vault caused the fall. On the other apparatus, she scored 15.625 on bars, 16.325 on beam, and 15.975 on floor. Although Johnson scored first on the vault, balance beam, and floor, she finished second in the all-around. Nastia Liukin, with an uneven bars score nearly a point higher than Johnson's^{[citation needed]} won gold.^{[citation needed]}

One week later, Johnson represented the U.S. in Jesolo, Italy against Italy, Spain, and Poland, along with Jana Bieger, Olivia Courtney, Chelsea Davis, Bridget Sloan, and Samantha Peszek. The U.S. won the junior and senior all-around team titles. Johnson won the all-around with a 61.7, earning the highest scores on vault (15.2), beam (16.2), and floor (15.0^[20]).^{[citation needed]}

On June 7, 2008, Johnson won the 2008 U.S. National Championships. Johnson scored 127.5, winning the all-around title by one point ahead of Liukin. Johnson also won the floor exercise.^{[citation needed]}

Two weeks later, Johnson won the all-around at the Olympic Trials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, again finishing ahead of Liukin. Because of their top placements, Johnson and Liukin were named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team immediately after the Trials. The other four 2008 team members earned their spots after two additional selection camps.^[21]

2008 Summer Olympics[link]

Johnson performs on the floor at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

At the 2008 Summer Olympics Johnson competed in all four events during the team competition,^[22] in which the United States won the silver medal.^[23] Johnson also won the silver medal in the individual all-around competition, receiving a score of 62.725.^[24] Johnson's teammate and roommate at the Olympic Village,^[25] Nastia Liukin, won the gold medal, receiving a score of 63.325.^[26] With Liukin taking gold and Johnson silver, this competition was the first time that the United States Women's Gymnastics team took both the gold and silver medals in the individual all-around competition; this competition also marks the fourth time a country won both gold and silver medals in the individual all-around competition.^[27]

She won the silver medal in floor exercise, with teammate Liukin taking bronze. She won a gold medal on the balance beam apparatus.^[28] Like the individual all-around, she and Liukin took the top two medals in this event.,^[29][30]

Comeback[link]

Shawn Johnson in San Diego just after her Olympic victory

In January 2010, Johnson tore her ACL while skiing. She had reconstructive knee surgery the following month.

In May 2010, Johnson announced her return to gymnastics training with a goal of making 2012 U.S. Olympic team.^[31]

In August 2010, Johnson communicated that her knee recovered to allow full training and that she had learned a new difficult skill.^[32]

In September 2010, Johnson released videos showing the following skills (training status):^[33] Johnson is planning on starting her comeback at the 2011 Covergirl Classics, and the 2011 Visa Championships, hopeful to make the 2011 World Championships Team.

Vault

• Yurchenko 2.5 "Amanar" (into pit)
• Yurchenko 2.0 (into pit)

Uneven bars

• double twisting double layout dismount (into pit)
• toe-on full pirouette, connected to Geinger salto

Beam

• back handspring, back handspring, full twisting layout (floor line)
• standing full twisting back salto (floor line)
• back handspring, back handspring, layout (low beam)
• switch leap, layout step-out, back pike
• front tuck

Floor exercise

• full twisting double layout (spotted onto pit mat, also unassisted on tumbletrack)
• double layout (unassisted onto pit mat and on tumbletrack)
• whip, double twisting back layout (tumbletrack)
• double pike
• double layout (unassisted on the spring floor)

In November 2010, Johnson performed her first post-Olympics National Team Training Camp. Although she expected to return to the "ranch" later in her comeback, Martha Karolyi requested she appear, based on her demonstrated progress in video. Johnson mentioned that her reconstructed knee still hindered high training volume.^[34]

In February 2011, Johnson became an official member of the USA Senior National team once again, this allows her to compete in international competitions. She has stated that she wishes to return to competition later in 2011.^[35]

In September 2011, Johnson was named as a non-traveling alternate to the 2011 USA Women's World Championships Team.^[36]

In October 2011, Johnson was named to the 2011 Pan American Games Team. She won a gold medal in the team competition and also won a silver medal for her uneven bars performance.^[37]

Honors[link]

Johnson was one of two female athletes to appear on AOL's 100 most searched females on the Internet for 2009, ranked 27th.^[38][39]

A scientific poll commissioned by Forbes magazine concluded Johnson was "America's Most-Liked Sports Figure" in 2009.^[40]

Johnson was also on the top of most appealing athletes on E-score Celebrity metric in 2010,^[41] and she was ranked seventh of America's Favorite Female Sports Stars on Harris Interactive in 2010.^[42]

ESPN announced Johnson's nominations for the 2009 "Best Female U.S. Olympian" Johnson won an ESPY for "Best Female U.S. Olympian" and "Athlete – Female" Teen Choice Award, the latter for the second consecutive year.^[43][44]

On 15 April 2009, Johnson was awarded the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award.^[45] The annual award honors the USA athlete who best represents "the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism."^[46]

Johnson ranked fifth in the Associated Press' 2008 Female Athlete of the Year voting.^[47]

Johnson was the winner of the 2008 Teen Choice Award for best female athlete, although she was not able to accept the honor in person because of Olympic training commitments.^[48] She was the first gymnast to be nominated for the award.^[49]

A life-sized bronze sculpture of Johnson honors the gymnast at the Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines.^[50]

On 7 September 2007, Johnson received the "Longines Prize for Elegance" in Stuttgart, Germany along with Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita. The prize is given in recognition of athletes who demonstrate remarkable elegance in the course of an international competition at world level; the decision was unanimous. In addition to the trophy, designed by the Swiss artist Piero Travaglini, recipients also receive a wristwatch from the Longines Evidenza collection and a check for $5,000.^[51]

Following Johnson's World Championship performances in 2007, Governor Chet Culver of Iowa proclaimed October 17 "Shawn Johnson Day" in the state.^[52][53]

In Popular culture[link]

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

In February 2009, Johnson became a celebrity competitor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars season eight,^[54] partnered with season six winner, professional dancer Mark Ballas. She is the youngest competitor in show's history. In the finale, tightest in the show's history, Johnson beat Gilles Marini by less than 1%.

On 17 April 2009, she appeared in the music video Do You Love Me by Ballas Hough Band wearing one of her Dancing with the Stars costumes.^[55] Later, she reunited with one of the show hosts, Tom Bergeron, at the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee to discuss her victory.^{[citation needed]}

Other television appearances[link]

Johnson appeared on many talk shows: The Today Show on NBC (26 October 2007, 5 August 2008, and 7 October 2008), CCTV (20 August 2008),^[56] the Late Show with David Letterman (25 August 2008), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (24 August 2008), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (8 October 2007, 9 September 2008, and 12 March 2009), Live with Regis and Kelly (22 October 2008), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (20 May 2009), and Entertainment Tonight (23 episodes, 2009). Along with other Olympians, she appeared on the season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show (8 September 2008).^[57][58]

Johnson made a cameo appearance on The Secret Life of the American Teenager season finale episode "Just Say No," which aired 9 September 2008.^[59] Johnson shot a second episode, "Just Say Me", which aired 25 January 2010.^[60]

Johnson was a celebrity participant in the 2009 Taco Bell All-Star Legends Celebrity Softball Game which aired on ESPN, 13 July 2009.^[61]

Johnson appeared on the celebrity edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire on 13 August 2009. She correctly answered a question about the lyrics to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” winning $50,000 for her chosen charity, Blank Children’s Hospital.^[62]

Johnson presented awards at the 2009 CMT Music Awards and the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.^[58]

She judged the Miss America 2010 pageant along with Rush Limbaugh.^[63]

She was featured on Degrassi: The Next Generation soundtrack in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Shawn Johnson is one of the 26 athletes followed by the BBC as part of the World Olympic Dreams series.

Public appearances[link]

Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance on 28 August 2008 at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.^{[64][65][66][67][68][69]}

On 27 July 2009, Johnson led the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.^[70]

Gymnastic tours[link]

From September to November 2008, Johnson was a marquee member of The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars.^[71][72] Recorded sections of the tour's second show were included in Frosted Pink with a Twist, which is a television special about women's cancers (Johnson has a grandmother who is a cancer survivor).^[64][73] The television special also featured singers Jesse McCartney, Kenny Loggins, and Grammy Award singers Cyndi Lauper and Carole King.^[74][75] Johnson also headlined the Progressive Skating and Gymnastics Spectacular in Rapid City, South Dakota, on December 23, 2008. The show aired nationally on NBC on January 18, 2009.^[76]

Book[link]

In December 2008, Johnson unveiled a book, Shawn Johnson: Olympic Champion: Stories Behind the Smile (ISBN 978-1-934417-01-0), chronicling her life story through personal photographs and quotes.^[77]

Advertisements[link]

Midwest grocery chain Hy-Vee, headquartered in Johnson's hometown of West Des Moines, ran a television ad before and during the Olympics featuring Johnson. After the Olympics, Johnson appeared in television ads and online campaigns for Ortega ("Ortega makes my taco pop") and McDonalds, as well as print and web advertisements for CoverGirl and Secret deodorant. Johnson also appeared on food packaging for McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Oscar Mayer Lunchables and Hy-Vee products.^[78] Reports by Johnson's agent, Sheryl Shade, that Johnson would grace the Wheaties cereal box did not come to fruition.^[79] Her likeness did, however, appear on a limited edition Cheerios box in January 2009.^[80] Other endorsements included^{[81][82][83][84][85]}

• Longines
• Crest (toothpaste)
• Sanofi-Aventis (pharmaceuticals)
• OroWeat
• Willis Auto/Land Rover
• Circuit City
• InterContinental Hotels Group
• Eukanuba
• Nestle
• Bounty (P&G)

Charity work[link]

Since becoming a professional athlete, Johnson has been involved with numerous charitable causes. She has served as a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, advocating awareness of women's cancers through the "What You Do Matters" campaign.^[86] Johnson has also partnered with Crest toothpaste to promote dental health, passing out toothpaste to low-income people.^[87] In December 2008, Johnson co-hosted a charity event with fellow Iowa native and actor Ashton Kutcher to raise money to repair areas of her home state devastated by flooding.^[88] According to her Web site, Johnson also supports the "Exercise Your Character" program through speaking engagements.^[89]

Stalking incident[link]

On March 25, 2009, a stalker was arrested after jumping a fence and sneaking onto the CBS lot. According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, 34-year-old Robert O'Ryan was arrested with the possession of guns, duct tape, zip ties, and love letters to Johnson. O'Ryan left his home in Florida and traveled to California, believing that Johnson spoke to him through the television via ESP, stating that they would be together and have a child. The Johnson family filed a restraining order against O'Ryan.^[90] O'Ryan was charged with felony stalking and two counts of carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle.^[91][92]

Competitive history[link]

Skills[link]

As of 2008, Johnson often competed the following skills, listed per apparatus.

• Vault: Amanar – 2¹⁄₂ twisting, laid out Yurchenko
• Bars: Toe-on full pirouette; Jaeger; Gienger; bail handstand; double twisting double layout dismount
• Floor: Double twisting double tuck; whip immediate triple full; front full punch layout rudi; double full; tucked full-in
• Beam: Two back handsprings to a back layout; Front Pike; standing tucked full; switch split leap to layout step out to pike back; full-in tuck dismount^{[citation needed]}

Senior career history[link]

^{[citation needed]}

Junior career history[link]

^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shawn Johnson

Gymnastics portal

• Official website
• Shawn Johnson at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
• Shawn Johnson at USA Gymnastics
• Shawn Johnson at the United States Olympic Committee
• Shawn Johnson: Coverage from The Des Moines Register
• "Shawn Johnson", n°7 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
• Shawn Johnson at the Internet Movie Database

Ryan Lochte

Lochte during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Steven Lochte
Nickname(s)	The Lochtenator, Imperial
Nationality	United States
Born	(1984-08-03) August 3, 1984 (age 27) Canandaigua, New York
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Backstroke, freestyle, medley
Club	Daytona Beach Swimming
College team	University of Florida
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m backstroke Gold 2008 Beijing 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 200 m medley Bronze 2008 Beijing 200 m medley Bronze 2008 Beijing 400 m medley World Championships (LC) Gold 2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2007 Melbourne 200 m backstroke Gold 2007 Melbourne 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 200 m medley Gold 2009 Rome 400 m medley Gold 2009 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m backstroke Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m medley Gold 2011 Shanghai 400 m medley Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2007 Melbourne 100 m backstroke Silver 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley Silver 2007 Melbourne 400 m medley Bronze 2005 Montreal 200 m backstroke Bronze 2005 Montreal 200 m medley Bronze 2009 Rome 200 m backstroke Bronze 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2004 Indianapolis 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2006 Shanghai 200 m backstroke Gold 2006 Shanghai 200 m medley Gold 2006 Shanghai 400 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 100 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 200 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 400 m medley Gold 2008 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m backstroke Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 100 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 200 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 400 m medley Gold 2010 Dubai 4×100 m medley Silver 2004 Indianapolis 200 m medley Silver 2006 Shanghai 4×100 m medley Silver 2008 Manchester 200 m backstroke Silver 2008 Manchester 4×100 m medley Silver 2010 Dubai 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2004 Indianapolis 200 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle Pan American Games Gold 2003 Sto Domingo 4×200 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2006 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m backstroke Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 200 m medley Gold 2010 Irvine 400 m medley Gold 2010 Irvine 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Irvine 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 100 m backstroke Silver 2006 Victoria 200 m medley

Ryan Steven Lochte (born August 3, 1984) is an American swimmer and a six-time Olympic medalist (three gold, two silver, one bronze). As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay (long course). Individually, he currently holds the world record in the 200-meter individual medley (long and short course) and the 400-meter individual medley (short course).

Lochte's success has earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award and the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice. He has also been named the FINA Swimmer of the Year twice. He has won a total of fifty-seven medals in major international competition, thirty-seven gold, eleven silver, and nine bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, Pan American, and the Pan Pacific Championships.

Lochte specializes in the backstroke and individual medley, but is also a freestyle swimmer. He is noted for the speed and distance he attains while kicking underwater. Lochte is also known for his dominance in the short course format (25-yard long swimming pool).

Early Life[link]

Lochte and his family first lived in New York, then moved to Florida so his father, Steve, could coach swimming. Lochte was taught to swim at the age of five by both of his parents. Ryan was often kicked out of his father's swimming classes for misbehaving, which often included pulling other children's legs, blowing bubbles, and hiding at the other end of the pool. Steve Lochte said, "I would send him to go shower when he was messing around. He spent more time in the showers than he did in the pool." A fourteen-year-old Ryan's loss at the Junior Olympics changed his attitude for swimming: "I suddenly said, 'I’m sick of losing'. After that I trained hard and I never lost there again."^[1]

Swimming career[link]

2004–2005[link]

Lochte qualified for his first Olympics after finishing second to Michael Phelps in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.^[2] He also qualified for the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team after finishing 4th in the 200-meter freestyle final.^[3] At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Lochte swam with Phelps, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay to upset the Australian team and capture the gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. It was the first loss for the Australian team in six years.^[4][5] He also narrowly edged out George Bovell and László Cseh in the 200-meter individual medley to win the silver medal behind Phelps.^[6]

Later that year at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis, Lochte won the silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley and the bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.^[7][8] He also won the gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Chad Carvin, Dan Ketchum, and Justin Mortimer.^[9]

At the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Lochte won the bronze medals in both the 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter individual medley.^[10][11] In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Lochte teamed with Phelps, Vanderkaay, and Keller to win gold ahead of Canada and Australia.^[12]

2006–2007[link]

At the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships in Shanghai, held just two weeks after the 2006 NCAA Championships, Lochte won three individual titles, one silver, and one bronze. He won the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter backstroke, setting new world records in both events.^[13] He also set another world record in the 100-meter backstroke in the opening leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay, becoming the first man to complete the distance in under 50 seconds.^[14] He won his third gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, setting a new championship record.^[15]

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, Lochte won his first individual gold medal at a long course world championship in the 200-meter backstroke against compatriot Aaron Peirsol, breaking Peirsol's world record and his seven-year winning streak in the event.^[16] This was Lochte's first world record in a long course event.^[17] A little more than 90 minutes later, Lochte went on to set a world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Phelps, Keller, and Vanderkaay.^[18] He also won silver medals in the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter individual medley, and the 400-meter individual medley, making his medal total for the meet second only to Phelps.^[19][20][21]

Within a week of the world championships, Lochte competed in the annual Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool where he again beat Peirsol. In the 100-meter backstroke, he broke Peirsol's other seven-year winning streak in the shorter of the backstroke races, edging out Peirsol by 0.06 seconds.^[22]

2008 Summer Olympic Games[link]

Lochte (left) with Phelps (center) and Cseh (right) after winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter individual medley.

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Lochte competed in six individual events and qualified to swim in three individual events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Also, with his third place finish in the 200-meter freestyle, Lochte was ensured a spot on the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. In his first event, Lochte finished second to Phelps in the 400-meter individual medley.^[23] Both Lochte and Phelps finished below Phelps' previous world record in the event.^[24] In his second event, the 200-meter freestyle, Lochte finished in third place behind Phelps and Vanderkaay.^[25] Less than 30 minutes after the 200-meter freestyle final, Lochte then competed in the 100-meter backstroke final, finishing in third place behind Aaron Peirsol and Matt Grevers.^[26] The next day, Lochte competed in the 100-meter freestyle but withdrew after the semifinals.^[27] Two days later, in the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte finished in second place behind Peirsol, who equalled Lochte's world record.^[28] Less than 30 minutes after the 200-meter backstroke final, Lochte finished second to Phelps in the 200-meter individual medley.^[29]

In his first event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lochte won the bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley behind Phelps and Cseh. His time of 4:08.09 was two seconds slower than the time he swam in Omaha.^[30] In his second event, Lochte swam the second leg of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. With Phelps, Ricky Berens, and Vanderkaay, he won his first gold medal and set his first world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56. The Americans were the first team to break the seven-minute mark in the relay, and broke the previous record, set in Melbourne, Australia, by more than four and a half seconds.^[31] In his third event, the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte won his first individual gold medal and set the world record, beating defending champion Peirsol.^[32] Twenty-seven minutes after the final of the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte went on to win the bronze in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing behind Phelps and Cseh.^[33]

2009 World Championships[link]

Lochte at the 2009 National Championships.

At the 2009 National Championships, the selection meet for the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Lochte won individual titles in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley.^[34][35] Lochte also qualified to swim in the 4x100 and 4x200-meter freestyle relay.^[36][37] In the 200-meter backstroke final, Lochte placed second behind Aaron Peirsol, and lost his world record he set in Beijing when Peirsol recorded a time of 1:53.08.^[38]

In his first event at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Lochte swam the second leg of the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.03. He earned a gold medal in the event along with Phelps, Matt Grevers, and Nathan Adrian. The final time of 3:09.21 was a championship record and just ahead of Russia (3:09.52) and France (3:09.89).^[39] With Phelps not competing in the 200 or 400-meter individual medley at these championships, Lochte won the gold in both events. In the 200-meter individual medley, Lochte broke Phelps' world record of 1:54.23 with a time of 1:54.10.^[40] In the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte won the bronze medal, finishing behind Peirsol and Ryosuke Irie of Japan.^[41] In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay final, Lochte swam the anchor leg in 1:44.46. Combined with Phelps, Berens, and David Walters, Lochte won the gold medal and his team broke the previous world record by one-hundredth of a second with a time of 6:58.55.^[42]

2010[link]

At the 2010 National Championships, the selection meet for the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, Lochte won individual titles in the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medley, and the 400-meter individual medley.^[43][44][45] He also placed second in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle.^[46][47] Lochte's win in the 200-meter individual medley was the first time he defeated Phelps in a major national or international meet.^[48]

At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, Lochte won a total of six gold medals. His wins included the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter freestyle, the 200 and 400-meter individual medley, and the 4×100 and 4×200-meter freestyle relay.^[49]

At the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, Lochte became the first individual in history to win seven medals at the Short Course Worlds and was the only person to set a world record individually since body-length swimsuits were banned.^[50] In Dubai, Lochte won gold in the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter freestyle, all the individual medleys (100, 200, 400), and the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also won silver in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Lochte's world records in Dubai came on consecutive days, first in the 400-meter individual medley, then in the 200-meter individual medley. Both world records were broken by considerable margins.^[51]

At year's end, Lochte was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.^[52] He was also named the best male swimmer for 2010 by FINA Aquatics World Magazine.^[53][54] 2010 saw Lochte win a total of thirteen international medals, twelve of them gold.

2011 World Championships[link]

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships, Lochte won a total of six medals, five golds and one bronze. Lochte won his first medal, a bronze, in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay for his contributions in the heats. In the heats, Lochte recorded a time of 48.28, off from the 47.98 he recorded last year in Irvine. In his second event, the 200-meter freestyle, Lochte won the gold with a time of 1:44.44, finishing ahead of Michael Phelps who recorded a time of 1:44.79.^[55] It was Lochte's first gold in the event in the long course World Championships. Lochte won the 200-meter individual medley event in a world record time of 1:54.00, finishing ahead of Michael Phelps time of 1:54.16.^[56] In the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte dominated the competition with a time of 1:52.96, over a second ahead of second place finisher Ryosuke Irie. Shortly after completing the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte competed in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, and Ricky Berens. Swimming the anchor leg in 1:44.56, Lochte was able to make up a deficit from France for the win. The final time for the relay was 7:02.67.^[57] In his last event, the 400-meter individual medley, Lochte continued his dominance with a win in a time of 4:07.13. His closest competitor, Tyler Clary, finished in 4:11.17, over four seconds behind.^[58]

Lochte said he was pleased with his performance at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships but feels that he can improve his times before the 2012 Olympics. "Getting five gold medals is definitely great, but the times that I went, I know I could go a lot faster," he said. "There are a lot of places in my races that I messed up on that I could have changed and gone faster, but I guess I have a whole year to make sure I have those perfect swims."^[59]

At year's end, Lochte was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine, and defended his titles from 2010.^[60] He was also named the best male swimmer for 2011 by FINA Aquatics World Magazine, and also defended this title.^[61]

2012 Olympics[link]

Lochte won't say how many events he'll be competing in at the 2012 Olympics, only admitting he will be competing in a large number of them, "I am going to swim as many events as I possibly can." On his anticipated rivalry with Michael Phelps, Lochte said, "Once I was able to beat Michael, it gave me a motivation, an edge. I told myself, I can do this. Once I beat someone, they won't beat me again."^[62]

Career best times[link]

Personal life[link]

Lochte was born in Canandaigua, New York in 1984, the son of Steven R. and Ileana M. Lochte. His father is a swim coach and his mother is a day care director. His mother is Cuban, and was born and raised in Havana, and his father is of German and English descent.^[63] He has two older sisters, Kristin and Megan, and two younger brothers, Devon and Brandon. His parents divorced in 2010. He is a 2002 graduate of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Florida. Lochte attended the University of Florida and graduated in 2007, majoring in sport management.^[64] Initially, Lochte was not interested in swimming and often fooled around during practice. Lochte only began taking swimming seriously when he was a junior in high school.^[65] As a part of the Florida Gators swimming and diving team, he swam for coach Gregg Troy. At Florida, Lochte was the NCAA Swimmer of the Year twice, a seven-time NCAA champion, a seven-time SEC champion, and a twenty-four time All-American.^[66] At the 2006 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, during his senior year, Lochte won individual titles in all three of his individual events, setting U.S. Open and American records in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke.^[67][68] He also broke Tom Dolan's nearly decade-old NCAA record in the 400-yard individual medley.^[69] He is currently sponsored by Speedo, Nissan, and Gatorade.^[66]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Olympics portal
	Swimming portal

• Florida Gators
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of United States records in swimming
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians
• World record progression 100 metres backstroke
• World record progression 100 metres individual medley
• World record progression 200 metres backstroke
• World record progression 200 metres individual medley
• World record progression 400 metres individual medley
• World record progression 4x100 metres freestyle relay
• World record progression 4x200 metres freestyle relay

References[link]