“Broke Him”: 7x Olympic Medalist Once Revealed American Swimming Icon Was Left Mentally Shattered by Global Pandemic

Freestyle specialist Caeleb Dressel is known for his 7 Olympic medals. But he is also known for being renowned swimming icon Ryan Lochte’s teammate. Ryan Lochte, who has won 12 Olympic medals in his career was looking forward to the 2020 Olympics after he was dismissed from the competition at Rio Olympics on grounds of using performance-enhancement drugs.

In a 2022 interview with Graham Bensinger, Dressel discussed how difficult it was for Lochte to cope with the news of the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games that were to be held in Tokyo.

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Caeleb Dressel discussed in the interview how teammate Ryan Lochte reacted to Olympics 2020 postponement amidst the Covid pandemic. “Ryan would have made it in 2020,” said Caeleb, “he wasn’t ready to go another year.”

Tokyo Olympics was supposed to be Ryan Lochte’s last performance at the games. “Swim 2020 and hang it up, that was what the plan,” explained Dressel. “Having to go that extra year I think really really mentally drained him,” he said.

The 38-year-old became a victim of controversy and media frenzy in 2018 after the United States Anti-Doping Agency imposed a 14-month suspension from the sport on the athlete. Ryan defended himself in front of the international media by stating that the intravenous infusion that he received was nothing but Vitamins.

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His teammate explained, “He went through a lot. Having this one last curveball thrown in, I think broke him.” Caeleb Dressel has the utmost respect for Ryan. “He would’ve made the team in 2020 for sure,” he continued, “I think he would’ve been really fast too.”

Ryan Lochte once lost sponsors worth a million dollars

Ryan Lochte once experienced severe repercussions for his behavior. He caused a stir following his antics at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when he falsely claimed to have been robbed by people posing as armed police officers.

Further inquiry revealed the truth, and the swimmer received a severe punishment. He was expelled from USA Swimming and the US Olympic Committee. Additionally, he lost his endorsement agreements with the well-known fashion brand Ralph Lauren and the renowned swimwear brand Speedo.

Ryan, 32 at the time of the incident, said that he was stopped by armed individuals who demanded money from him and his buddies. His associates refused to comment when they were later contacted by the press.

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The Brazilian police uncovered video evidence from CC cameras which shed light on the drunken behavior of the swimmer and his friends. Civil police chief Fernando Veloso stated,  “the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser, and a mirror.” Ryan apologized in a news conference once the truth about his made-up story was revealed. “I wasn’t lying to a certain extent,” he said. “I over-exaggerated what was happening to me.”