The Week That Was: Lochte Cleared Of Charges In Brazil

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

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This week featured another development related to Ryan Lochte’s post-Olympic gas station incident that led to his 10-month suspension from USA Swimming that barred him from this summer’s World Championships. Look below to see the latest news from that incident and the rest of the biggest stories of the week.

The Week That Was #5 – Smith and Chadwick Sign With TYR

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Two U.S. National Team members, Leah Smith and Michael Chadwick, both signed with TYR Sport this week ahead of the 2017 FINA World Championships. Smith, who won two Olympic medals in Rio last summer, recently qualified for five individual events in Budapest next week. Smith most recently completed her NCAA career at the University of Virginia. Chadwick announced his signing just one day after Smith’s. The former Missouri swimmer also recently completed his NCAA eligibility, placing second behind Caeleb Dressel at this year’s NCAA Championships. Chadwick will be representing the United States in Budapest as part of the men’s 400 free relay.

The Week That Was #4 – FINA Announces Hosting Duties For Short Course Worlds

Photo Courtesy: FINA Kazan2015

FINA announced the two host cities for the Short Course World Championships in 2022 and 2024, awarding the games to the cities of Kazan and Budapest. Both cities have been recent hosts of the long course World Championships, with Kazan hosting the 2015 competition and Budapest currently hosting the 2017 competition. The two cities were chosen from four possible choices. The other two host bids were for Hong Kong and Taipei The next two Short Course World Championships will take place in Hangzhou, China, in 2018 and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2020. You can read FINA’s full statement on their decision to choose both cities here.

The Week That Was #3 – Open Water Competition Underway in Budapest

Photo Courtesy: Eric Seals-USA TODAY Sports

The 2017 FINA World Championships kicked off this week with the open water competition in Budapest, with some familiar names returning to the top of the podium. One of those competitors was French athlete Aurelie Muller, who won the women’s 10k event to defend her title from two years ago in Kazan. That was also a notable rebound from her disappointing performance last summer in Rio, where she was DQ’ed after initially finishing second in the event. Muller’s teammate Marc-Antoine Olivier won the men’s 5k to open the competition. In the men’s 10k race, Olympic gold medalist Ferry Weertman touched out 2015 World Champion Jordan Wilimovsky in a sprint finish. You can get all the updates on the open water events and all aquatic events from this summer’s World Champs on our Event Landing Page.

The Week That Was #2 – Phelps Adds More ESPY Wins

July 12, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former olympic swimmer Michael Phelps arrives for the 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

Olympic legend Michael Phelps added to his list of accolades this week, winning his eighth and ninth ESPY Awards this week. Phelps brought home the ESPY for Best Record-Breaking Performance, an accolade that he had also won in 2009 and 2013. Later in the night, Phelps won the Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete Award, one that he also has picked up in 2005, 2009, and 2013. Phelps has also won the Best Male Athlete (2009) and Best Moment (2009) ESPY Awards throughout his career. You can see a list of all the ESPY Award winners here, and see the video of Phelps receiving the award here.

The Week That Was #1 – Lochte Cleared Of Criminal Charges In Brazil

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Olympian and new father Ryan Lochte has been cleared of criminal charges in a Brazilian court. Lochte was accused of falsely reporting in a crime in Brazil last summer following a controversial incident following the completion of the swimming events in Rio. Lochte notably claimed on national television that he and his teammates had been robbed at gunpoint in Brazil, when in reality they had instigated a confrontation with security guards at a gas station. Lochte was cleared of charges through an appeals court, which decided he was innocent as an investigation had not been opened at the time he made those comments. Lochte was suspended from competition for 10 months following the incident, which just ended on July 1. He was scheduled to make his return to racing at the LA Invite this week, but ended up pulling out of the competition at the last minute.

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