#LochMess
Ryan Lochte made many headlines this summer at the Olympic Games, so it’s no surprise that he has an article in this Flash edition. This was Lochte’s fourth trip to the Olympics. He competed in only two events this summer at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The first event was in the 4x200 Freestyle Relay, winning gold in it. This event earned Lochte his twelfth Olympic medal, and sixth gold. Lochte has the second highest medal count out of all male swimmers in Olympic history. He also raced in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley. He placed first in his heat. Then placed second in the semifinal heat, but fell short of the mark and received fifth in the finals.
Then there’s the whole Lochtegate scandal. On August 14, Lochte told NBC, “We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge — no lights, no nothing, just a police badge — and they pulled us over,” he said. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused — I was like, we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead, and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up. I was like, whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.” Lochte returned to the United States the next day while Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger stayed in Rio.
International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams disagreed saying, “I can tell you the story is absolutely not true.” On August 17, Feigen’s passport was taken at the Olympic Village so that they could further question him. Conger and Bentz were removed from their flight and also had their passports taken so they could be questioned as well. The store owner claimed they broke a soap dispenser in the bathroom, damaged a door, tore down a sign, and urinated around the premises.
The USOC (United States Olympic Committee) stated,"An argument ensued between the athletes and two armed gas station security staff, who displayed their weapons, ordered the athletes from their vehicle and demanded the athletes provide a monetary payment." The swimmers handed over 100 reais, Brazilian currency (equivalent to about $32 U.S.) and $20 in additional U.S. currency for the damages and the payment.
Lochte apologized for his “immature” actions and “over-exaggerated” claims, later admitting that he was drunk the night of the incident. It was all but too late for Lochte. Speedo and Ralph Lauren ended their endorsements with him. Multiple contracts were terminated by other companies. #Lochtegate and #LochMess were both trending topics during the ordeal. This has taken away coverage from the Games, Lily King stated, "It’s sad that people aren’t focusing on how well the U.S. Olympic team did. This might have been the best team we've ever had."
Rio Olympics spokesperson, Mario Andrada, commented, "No apologies from [Lochte] or other athletes are needed. We have to understand that these kids came here to have fun. Let's give these kids a break. Sometimes you make decisions that you later regret. They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on." And so, life goes on. Lochte has since then signed new endorsement deals, and was also announced to join Dancing with the Stars. He also hopes to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as well. Time will tell how this event will affect Lochte’s career.