Ryan Lochte Might Extend Career Four Years To 2020 Olympics

Photo Courtesy: Kara Sekenski

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By Jeff Commings, Swimming World Senior Writer

Ryan Lochte would be 36 years old if he competed at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but the 11-time Olympic medalist isn’t ruling out the possibility of extending his career for an appearance at a fifth Olympics.

“I told myself I’d quit swimming if I stopped having fun in the sport,” the 30-year-old Lochte told reporters during a conference call. “I don’t seeing myself doing that anytime soon.”

Media and fan speculation had Lochte retiring after next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But as Dara Torres, Anthony Ervin and others have shown, swimming has become a much older sport, with 30 years old no longer the perceived limit for an athlete’s swimming ability. And Lochte feels like a career outside the pool might not be as easy as the grind of three-hour training sessions or as thrilling as racing against the best in the world.

“Swimming is my home,” he said. “Every time I step in that water, I’m in my own universe. I’m one with the water.”

Lochte is prepping for his sixth world championships appearance, and the quest to increase his impressive medal tally. He’s won 23 world championships medals, 10 fewer than Michael Phelps. Swimming through at least the 2019 world championships would give him the opportunity to chase Phelps’ all-time medal record.

Lochte will definitely swim three events in Kazan, Russia, next month at worlds: 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 800 freestyle relay. He could get picked for the 400 free relay as well. Lochte’s going for history in the 200 IM, hoping to win his fourth consecutive world title and join Grant Hackett as the only men to win four titles in the same event.

With Phelps out of the meet, and Japan’s Kosuke Hagino also missing the meet due to an injury, Lochte appears to have smooth sailing toward 200 IM gold medal number four. But he doesn’t see it that way.

“Just because they’re not there doesn’t mean it’s going to be a shoo-in,” Lochte said. “There are so many other swimmers that are up and coming,” such as Japan’s Daiya Seto, who has beat Lochte on a couple of occasions recently. Another name to watch is Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist ahead of Lochte.

Though Lochte is only entered in two individual races at worlds – the result of subpar swimming in 2014, “my worst year ever,” he said – he’s expected to contend for many more at next year’s Olympic Trials. Fans will want him to stick around for the 2020 Trials, but Lochte will keep such a decision secretive until the time is right.

The Rio Games “could be my last (Olympics) or I could go another four years,” he said. “I’m taking each year at a time, and also each race at a time.”

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Tom Sandgren

10 years ago

Be there, Ulrica Sandgren!

Tom Sandgren

10 years ago

Be there, Ulrica Sandgren!

Bill Bell

10 years ago

Well I don’t believe he’s ever competed in Tokyo so…and then Boston’s only four years after that! Maybe he can convince his buddy in “Tempe” to go on to Tokyo too,