An Unfiltered Conversation with Olympian Ryan Lochte

Introduction of Ryan Lochte just ahead of the world record now and he's hits the wall and the world record has been taken apart by Ryan lofy of the United States today on the athletes only podcast I sit down with 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer Ryan locky Ryan is the second most decorated male swimmer in Olympic history only behind the legendary Michael Phelps and boasts over 39 world championship titles in this episode Ryan talks about his early career in the boort of swimming what his relationship was like with the legendary Michael Phelps as they both dominated the pool the hard truth about having your own reality TV show and the incident at the 2016 Olympic games that came to be known as locky gate make sure to subscribe to my channel for more amazing interviews on the athletes only podcast and without further Ado here's my guest Ryan [Music] locky uh ladies and gentlemen today we have a very special guest here on the athletes only podcast we have 12-time Olympic medalist 39 time world champion and current world record holder in the 200 IM ladies and gentlemen no one else other than Ryan locky thank you so much for being here on the athletes only podcast Ryan of course kle hey thanks for having me bud yeah I'm excited to uh dive into this and you know share with the fans a little bit more about your illustrious career in the sport of swimming um but I would love to rewind How Ryan got into Swimming / Early Career it all the way back kind to your childhood and you know start off today's conversation share a little bit more about how you got into the sport of swimming oh well I grew up in Upstate New York in Rochester um both my parents were swim coaches um so basically I was always around the pool deck I mean I guess you could say I have chlorine in my veins um just being brought up by the pool and everything a funny story is how I got involved in the sport of swimming is one uh one day you know how your son goes like father and suay like you go to your father's work so I went to the pool with him and it was early in the morning and I was coming outside from the snow um I had my snowsuit on and everything I was walking by the deep end and I tripped and fell it was like what I was three years old and I fell in and my dad saw me across the pool frantically running be like oh my God and he like he like reached down picked me up and like brought me out of the pool and like I was I was crying and then he turned around to go get a towel and he heard a splash I immediately jumped back in the pool and he turned around and he was like what and then I was there like this like floating from my suit I was like laughing giggling laughing and that's where it started and my dad was like you know what that's a water baby um I think that's where my passion and love for the Water started I love that and and swimming has taken you far in 8:52: 2004 Olympic Games / Swimming at Florida / 2008 Olympic Gold & World Record your career you know you you came onto the scene at the 2004 Olympic Games had a great great swims there um but people started hearing the name Ryan locky a lot more in the 2008 games um when you beat backstroke Legend Aaron peol in the 200 meter backstroke to win gold talk to me about what those games were like and and what that did for your career moving forward um so you know I always wanted to become a Olympian swimmer um ever since 1992 Olympic Games I was watching it in my living room and watching um a hun butterflyer Pablo Morales win the gold and watching him on my television and seeing him win and congratulating all the other swiers very like very good sportsmanship and then getting out of the water walking up around the pool deck taking pictures hiding autographs with like fans and I was like that is so freaking cool I was like I want to be just like him and I think that's where my dreams and aspirations of becoming a Olympian started so it started at the age of eight um I didn't know it was possible until I was able to get a scholarship to the University of Florida and after my freshman year is when I was like you know what so after my freshman year College it was 200 2003 I was like you know what I think I can make a name for myself in this Sport and I had another year to make 2004 Olympics got a gold got a silver and I wasn't satisi I was like that was that was good my first olymic got some Hardware but I'm not done I want to keep going so after 2004 on the way home Dr fly home from Athens I immediately started setting my goals in my head being like you know 2007 this is my junior year of college and SEC championships is coming to University of Florida I was like you know what I'm going to shock the world there and then going to take that energy that I created there and I'm just G to keep going and win a gold in 2008 so that's where my um goal started at was right on the play home and it happened I started shocky the world on my underwater kicks in 2007 at SEC championships um broky breaking n2a records and stuff and just loving life and I was it started becoming like a big big man on campus I guess you could say and 2008 happened and it's something I will never forget so I'm going to back TR when I was 13 like eight I was I wanted to go to the Olympics and get an individual gold medal and break a world record at the same time so I set my limit to the very very top and I was able to do that in 2008 it was kind of funny because in the 200 back show I forgot to tie my suit but the suit was so tight that like it was fine so when I jumped in the water to start it kind of like blew up a little I was like yeah you know what like this is the Olympics and I forget to time my suit what the heck so I was like I didn't have time really so I was like all right whatever um we're swimming the last I don't know what happened I don't know if it was God or if it was someone telling me from upstairs I was like on my last like 15 met where I was neck and neck with um Aaron peaw headed into the finish and I was like I remember looking at the ceiling being like if anyone's up there can you please help me then I don't know what happened but from the flags into the wall I got a burst of something that I like I went from neck to neck to go in like this and I out touched him broke the world record got the gold and and Happ oh my dreams my goal ever since I was eight all that hard work Dedication that I put into the sport paid off yeah but I wasn't done I wasn't happy I got what I get I get I got four Olympic medals freaking amazing but I was like no I want more so immediately did the same thing I did in 2004 set my goals for 2012 and just started taking off that is that is insane Ryan like what an amazing story and you know that that manifesting all the way from when you were 13 years old uh I'm sure you know that just having that goal in the back of your mind really helped drive you to get that one day and I'm sure there was something up above that really pulled you through in those last couple meters and if you if you watch the video you you could see it's like we're neck and neck and then all of a sudden in like a split of second it was like I and I just never country the wall seeing W Ryan ly and me just going like this and thank you someone up there thank you thank you um what a great what a great Victory and I think it really propelled you like you said into 2012 you you had four four medals to your 15:49: Training for 2012 / 2011 200 IM World Record vs Michael Phelps name now and uh only going to continue adding from there so in 2011 you had arguably one of the biggest swims of your career leading into the 2012 Olympics uh a world record that still stands to this day an amazing swim the 200 IM where you barely edged out Michael Phelps talk to me a little B about like what that meat meant to you what that race meant to you and like what the future of the 200 IM looks like after 2008 I started people started recognizing me a lot more in the swimming community all and all over the world um just going anywhere is walking down the street of like New York like people are saying what's up Ron I'm like whoa hey I can do it um so it was pretty cool and I started getting a Persona of being the laidback Surfer nonchalant like Rockstar um Michael Phelps was the Superman well obviously I mean he got three eight gold medals at that Olympics like sure unbelievable but I was the rock star so I started going with that Persona I started wearing crazy shoes grills in my teeth for being on the podium like diamond all over just being myself being a big kid uh which I am um and then after eight I was on a mission I was on a mission to beat Phelps No this so much anyone else because it was Phelps like we s the exact same races pretty much and being in his era I'm so happy to be is a to swim next to a legend and racing and people start noticing you like Ryan and Phelps the best rivalry ever I like here we go here we go Ryan let's go so I would do like it was just a mission like I had a goal I wanted to break his world record I didn't know what of that yet but I just wanted to so I started training my ass off started doing you know the saying of when you go to the well yeah in practice where you Le you like you get to the point where you can't move but then you find a little piece of energy inside you and then you get it a little bit more I was able to do that every day not many people can find that inside inside here but I found it once I found it once I was able to do it every day and I could bleed from my eyeballs in every practice I will go until you see me and be like is that even a stroke like just you're done like you're not even swimming now you're like going like this but I I was mentally the toughest I want to say I was mentally toughest person in the sport of swimming every day every day I would race every day I would work on something a little bit more that will help me I started staying after workouts by myself everyone would be leaving the the facility it'll just be me no coaches no nothing and I start doing vertical kicking in the deep deep end at University of Florida with a 10B plate who like for 10 minutes I start working in my walls doing fly to back back to breast breast to free working on my underwaters try to perfect anything I could just to gain a little advantage over my competition and for that being Phelps I got with my Straight coach Matt Lany best Straight coach in the world I started doing um strong man lifting interesting like kids throw up in the air to work out my B TR start fleeing my um arms yeah just a power yeah but I didn't want to be good I wanted to be great so I had to do things and that's what I did and come 2011 I was freaking ready you already knew knew I was going to win just because I prepared myself for it I visualized it and when it happened it was no like I wasn't shot wasn't the time I was like it's about time all this hard work and dedication I've done and now it's paid off the best thing about it was afterwards like I broke Michael th's record in the 200 IM unbelievable and which it still holds today and that was how long ago 12m she years it l I'm old Jee what Justice show you like back then yeah weird he and Phelps were that much farther ahead of everyone yep and it's kind of freaking awesome to think that when you're like when they show like TV on clip like Clips on YouTube or something because I show my kids this and be like this is what Danny used to do you just see me and Phelps you don't see anyone else and it was pretty amazing how we separated ourselves from the rest of the sport of swiy Oh yeah and when I did break the world record the best thing was reaching over it be like man you're one tough mother I could have do the things I've do it right now if it wasn't for you right and we hugged I bet he was a little pissed and to be honest I was pissed too I just beat Michael phelps's world record and I went 1540 I was pissed cuz I could have got on 52 and I try to capitalize on what happened in 2011 I started becoming the face of swimy which is ridiculous because of what Phelps has done in the sport sure I started becoming the rock star on every magazine possible I was I was like one of seven people or one of 10 people ever to be on the cover of B how freaking awesome is that that's awesome dude and then I was able to get I was getting so many deals I was everywhere I was sponsored by everything getting notice everywhere everywhere I 17:38: Ryan’s Reality TV Show - “What would Ryan Lochte do?” went got to have my own TV show E network what would Ryan ly do now don't go see it if you guys have it don't watch it um well they say reality TV it's not reality TV it is scripted almost there's certain things that they let you do on your own but that Persona that I had of the Rockstar doy or The Jock or whatever you want to call it took a Fett and the producer and everything was like feeding me drps at 800 in the morning being like hey I need you to be loopy I need to be like funny there's one scene that we were doing in my townhouse in Gainesville and it was with my family and they were like we were just they said talk about this subject whatever and we were sitting in the living room talking and then they were said stop all right now let's do this scene over but Ryan I want you to say it this way say it like this and do this and I was like but that's not me I wouldn't do that so I said you know what all right whatever so and it started I started noticing that that happened throughout the whole time shooting the show and it started happening more and more and then the show took off I mean I don't I can't say I regret doing it because who can say they had their own TV show but it it it wasn't the real you almost like you said and in the media has a way of doing that um and and we 21:47: Ryan’s Relationship with Michael Phelps can get into this in a little bit but like you know those 2011 games where you were a very pivotal moment translated that into 2012 um obviously you and Phelps both have this great meet um but you know after that meet Phelps was set to retire and you know America's eyes shifted all to Ryan locky you know this this rivalry was going to be over and you were just going to be the guy going forward um obviously philps ended up struggling with depression and and ended up coming back and competing in 2016 um I guess would love to kind of talk a little bit more about your relationship with Michael through that time both in and out of the pool U so you know in the pool I mean I'm an open book I'm not going to lie well while we were swimming both of us I was always the guy be like you want My Autograph I'll sign autographs all day every day I will never say no and that was kind of my thing with everything in life which got me in trouble too um but we'll get in that later um like I would notice like he would be like no I don't have time to sign her autograph and like stuff like that and I'm like man dude like come on like it's Stu it's part of the like the job kind of but I mean I could understand where he's coming from like he's like the Michael Jordan of swimming and he being stopped nonstop and dragged and touched and pulled if it was me I would love it I'd be like yeah but I could see how people get aggravated and so like while we were swimming I was just like man we're friends obviously he's a competitor I I wish you could like change it be you could be bigger than what you are I mean which at that time like he was the known most known person in the world basically yeah yeah um but then after 2012 he said he was retiring and immediately I either called him or text him I can't remember but I was like bull you are not retiring hit your ass back in the pool and then it started like he's like no I'm done I'm done I'm done like I just had to like I've done all I could do in the world of swimming blah blah blah and I'm like all right all right whatever months later I was like swimming I'm like man I kind need helps here he's like my kind of motivation yeah called him get your ass back in the pool I'll bet you I bet you $1,000 you won't come back he's like what and then like it wasn't like months later it was actually like a year or so and he was like then he came back he ow he owes me $1,000 which he still hasn't paid there we go there go back and then so it was good um so like we're back um he's he was a changed person when he came back I don't know like it was probably the depression but he was a different person I think he was not taking swimming for granted and when you get to a certain point in and any kind of career you get that nonchalant being like I'm bigger than this and then you start taking things for granted I mean it happened to me too um later on but he was a different person he was more C more like talkable like you could go up to him sign like people could take pictures with him he'd be like yeah sure and I was like wow like sa's different yeah I mean he's my spes part every Olympics we have a tradition I was like you got to be there for 2016 yeah um and he was and he was my space partner and we kicked everyone's butt in it and uh but it was good to have him back the sport for sure and at those 2016 games you and Ryan or you and 32:28: 2016 Olympic Games - “Lochtegate” Michael like you said you kicked butt in the 200 IM and you also had a spot on the 4x200 freestyle relay I think all the fans can remember that that awesome white hair that you had for that for that meet um but what I think I think uh something that's overshadowed uh kind of overshadow those Olympics for you and and this is kind of what we were talking a little bit earlier about with the media um was a lot of fans will remember the lock degate um as the media dubbed it um I would love you know if you'd be able to talk to me a little bit more about that incident that night at the gas station and then kind of the emotions that surrounded that couple with the media's perception of just everything that kind of happened there let's first go off of the media there's no two ways about it yeah um that's my opinion everyone has their own opinion I don't you I know I have to be on it just to like make a living or do anything to reach out to my fans mostly well I don't like the media um they change everything I learned it from firstand from my show what they said was like oh we're going to make you look like proper like you're dedicated swimming no they do it what's best for them um and not what's best for their client or whatever or sure they're interviewing or whatever so I didn't like the B at first but it was my fault I mean we won the 4X two relay and a couple of guys I dragged out I was like let's go out and have fun let's celebrate like Olympics is over just cheat ass let's go celebrate so it was me and three other guys uh we went out partying all through the night um we all Tipsy drunk um headed back to the Olympic Village and we all had to go to bathroom on on the way home so the taxi cab driver whoever we tried to get to take us was like like we have to go to the bathroom we have to go to the bathroom so we pulled over to the gas station um we went we all went in and the the bathroom door was locked so we were like we got to pee so there was a like a hallway that walked out to the back of the gas stents and we all went out there and peed in bushes fing old one gu does sure peed in bushes we came back in and my drug ass was there was a sign that was kind of hanging down like off his like Lim like okay and I just went like this I smacked it and it was like a metal Floy sign and it made a huge noise on the ground and we just kept walking um walking through the gas station into the camp um immediately uh we all got in the camp we started driving the cab driver started driving away and then uh we get pulled over not by a cop it didn't have like cop lights or uh two guys came out um with guns and we couldn't understand and there speaking um langage and we were like what but they had guns they told us to get out of the car we got out of the car and we sat down on the sidewalk and it was like 50 ft from the uh gas station so we all sat down of course my drug asked me like dude they're not going to freaking shoot us like what the heck is this so I get up and be like man if you're going to shoot me shoot me like all this stuff and then the guy started coming closer to me with it and I through the whole talking and yelling at um between those two guys and us we had to give them money in order for us to leave cuz we we heard that we know what there is so we had to give him money we don't know if it was for the sign that I RI down we don't know if we're getting held up we didn't we had no idea all we know is we gave them money to get back in the cab and go to the Olympic Village end the story sure that was it they didn't have they didn't have a police badge they didn't have they didn't show us ID they didn't nothing so we were still drunk in the morning we had to go to like this brunch uh USA uh swim team did a brunch um and we were still like I was still intoxicated um and then um what was that guy Bush Billy Bush Billy bush from Access Hollywood at the time uh okay s be like cuz my real mom she said like something to a reporter on the way that like I got robbed cuz I was talking to her he like my gosh we just held up I go like this so she I guess she didn't know it was a reporter told this reporter and it got out to Billy Bush Billy Bush came with a camard to be like started interviewing me I told him the story I said the guy had a gun he put it to my forehead and cocked it and be like give me your money that was not he he was 4 feet away still a g to my head and we still had leave of money yep but that is what started everything Ryan locky lion locky lion locky gate and the media took off with this because I mean I guess it was happening because Brazil is not that safe I guess sure there's definitely a reputation like it happened before I guess yeah and then a known a big known athlete gets held up the media takes off with it it's not safe place anymore about it well one of the things was it took away from the other athletes that were competing and stuff because I was I was all over the news every newspaper every TV channel it was me lcky gate it got to the point this is why I hate media sometimes it got to the point that media said I I robbed the gas station yeah I remember that I vandalized the bathroom the bathroom was locked we couldn't even get in like if you look up the USA Today they did an investigation they saw that the bathroom was locked all this stuff and the only thing that I I guess you could say lined or stretched was the fact that the gun wasn't at Warhead it was away that's it but the media took off and you know everyone in this world they're going to believe whatever the headline is I do have regrets of what happened when I got back home because I have a good feel I have a belief that everything happens for a reason um I was dating my wife at the time a Playboy model I was like yeah I won um I was like oh she's going to lead me now but it got her closer she stayed with me cuz she knew who I was as a person and she was like don't let Media do this like be bigger than NE get up off your ass and keep moving forward um I started hearing that from my close friends my my circle was basically the entire world get smaller and smaller and smaller after that I started noticing my true friends I started noticing my true family saddest moment one of the saddest moments was going through Twitter when I got back home after 16 and being the loving person of the USA of the sport of any athlete basically started getting death threats started getting messages being like you used to be my role model now you're not from kids I immediately balling my eyes out Ry these kids looked up to me and I and I'm not a role model to them what the hell am I doing with my life so what I've known to do throughout my whole entire life is when you get knocked down it doesn't matter how you get knocked down it's how you get up and keep moving forward and that's what I did I just with the help of my wife now all my family my close friends I got up and I'm you know what this crazy thing is I'm still trying to get up and get movie and as someone who you know like we talked about earlier you have an immense love for your fans and you will go as far you know you will sign every autograph I was listening to you speak with Brett Hawk and you know he had a great story of how you signed every autograph before you left that pool deck that night and I I think that just kind of goes to show the type of person that you are and I hope that you know everyone listening to this today R remember that part of it because the media definitely did take a dooy there and like we talked about earlier like they can spin it to be anything that they want um and I hope that's not what this podcast is here today this is to tell the true story of Ryan locki and that's why I'm a firm believer of whatever happens happens for a reason because it that made me so much stronger I was able to being I started I was taking swimming for granted thinking I was like Unstoppable Untouchable and that happened and I was like it started making me realize who I am started noticing who I am started being who I am not for anyone else not the person of the Rockstar not being a jock or a douchebag or whatever they want to say I was being me and what I wanted to be and what I was put on this life on this Earth for was to be a 36:00: Ryan talks about being a Father / Family father and be a husband and it happened in 17 the greatest gift in the world was my son be it [ __ ] it changed my life forever and it will if you don't have kids go kick kids that's awesome this this new chapter of your life definitely sounds to be a fun one and I I know all parents probably will Echo what she what you have to say the highs and the lows you know swimming wasn't me I wasn't I'm not defined by swimming swimming was a sport that I did that I was good at that's it and I had fun doing it there's so much more to me now that I realized having a family there's so much more to me than swimming I'm bigger than swimming and that's what I was going to be I changed my whole entire team I restructured recreated Ryan Wy basically I got a new emblem boom bo boom bo right there the infinity Sonic I got a new website locky forever go check it out new merchandise nice line go I have a legendary Academy doing swim clinics helping kids anything I do is helping other people designing clothes helping other people swim license teaching kids how to swim second leadest leading most drought like drown need is cause death helping kids helping people around the world putting spiles on everyone's face along I love it like and there we go this is this is in full form it's just King off I'm sorry I'm cutting you all but I'm just you're good just so excited about this I'm more excited about this than I did when I freaking got a gold medal because chapter this is the biggest challenge of my life is I thought swimming and having a family while trying to swim to compete at at the highest level was hard this is 10 times harder cuz I have no idea what the hell I'm doing like coach and I'm bled I'm bled like yes I'm 39 sorry I swam my whole entire life and not medals I need to apologize is like like I said it's frustrating but like I'm so intrigued about it and so excited what the future hat holds for me because I want to leave Legacy I want to leave something for my kids when they say oh D that Bast no dad was an entrepreneur dad on an Empire that's what I want and I love that everything on doing is just it's so much fun it's hard but it's so much fun hey hard work makes it you know life rewarding um and it sounds like you've entered like this great new chapter of your life and I'm I'm so excited to hear that for you Ryan um and in speaking 39:00: Ryan’s Advice for Aspiring Swimmers about swimming a little bit more there um what what what of advice do you have for young swimmers in the sport um what have you learned throughout your career that you'd be able to share with them oh there's so many things um but just for this um I have three kind of guidelines three rules that I live by ever since I could remember um that's helped me become the person I am today um the first one is to listen to your coach now I'm using this towards my swimming career but you anyone can use this in their real life sure listen to your coach whatever that coach may be the higher power in your job or your boss or your uh your mom your dad God you D it with listen to your coach they're there to help you they've been probably coaching longer than you've been alive most likely they're there to help listen to your coach that's one second one make sure you set short-term and long-term goals but I swimming I'll study short-term goals every day in practice every day whether it be like you know this practice I'm going to make sure I kick five times off every wall no matter what during this practice or making sure I breathe every three In freestyle this practice doing something little because those little things will end up those little things are going to make you better they're going to make you a better person and a better person at your job so you had those short-term goals then you had that long-term goal for me it was getting an individual gold medal and breaking a world record at the same time for you newsat I don't know I'm spit M um whatever it is set the bar though you always wake up you have that longer so you always wake up with a goal have that long-term goal because then you're going You're trying to achieve something great every day of your life so that's number two and the third one the freaking most important one is to have fun yeah that's what life is all about enjoy life you never know when it's going to end make people around you smile happier just live life so those are the three things that um I kind of say to all the kids that I do swim clitics that I teach that be like here here's a little something that might help you reach your dreams whether it be swimming being a doctor lawyer you name it so sure like you said it can be applied to all parts of life um and I think that last piece just have fun is so so often forgotten in sports and that's a great reminder for all young athletes my my last question for you was what's next for Ryan 41:28: What’s next for Ryan Lochte locky what's that um another baby no no no no no no no Kayla my wife if you're listening gotten that part not yet um no uh my next chapter is building my Empire building an Empire and a legacy that I could pass out to my kids that's my next that's my next champ yeah and and fans can definitely catch you at some of the upcoming camps that you have going on I'm I'm very excited to see how that comes and and progresses through and you can definitely check out your merch that you got you're so lovely sporting today uh talk to about that so go to locky forever.com you can go sign up for a swim clinic at on on the website you can check out our new website everything's new um new merchandise line we have everything from towels bottles to sweatshirts sweatpants shorts freaking you a it oh and also I totally forgot about this one I just got so excited um I'm coming out I came out with uh sunscreen yep being in Florida and having my dad have skin cancer and being in Florida and always in the sun I was like I got to help people like we need sunre we need blocky ah I like that all natural grief friendly all organic love that no chemicals none of that crap what it it's going to be it's it's a it's good you you got to get sweet I'm going to too I need it here I need it here in the California Sun as well so what a what a great way to combine you know your your love for the sport with just like you know something that's great for everyday people you know Florida California very hot places to live so definitely check that out for sure in Canada like the sun comes out the sun is still there yep yeah get some block I love that get some blocky Ryan Loy thank you so much for making this happen today I really appreciate it thank you buddy I appreciate it thanks so much for watching this episode of the athletes only podcast if you guys want 41:45: Outro to get access to exclusive content and full length episodes make sure to become a member of my channel And subscribe so you don't miss future episodes thanks so much and I'll see you guys all next time