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Legendary US swimmer Ryan Lochte might bid adieu to the sport with a sense of emotion attached to it, at this year's Tokyo Olympics. But that will only happen if all goes well at the US Olympic Trials scheduled for the upcoming week.
36-year-old is eyeing a spot in what will be a record 5th consecutive Olympic appearance. He will become the oldest U.S. Olympic male swimmer if he qualifies for the Olympics. However, Lochte is expected to face some stern competition in the US Olympic Swimming trials that start on Sunday.
Since the Rio Olympics, Lochte has faced multiple hindrances, including a couple of suspensions.
He was suspended for ten months by the US Olympic committee after a gas station incident. The controversy caught international media attention as the incident involved Lochte and teammates urinating outside a bathroom in Rio.
Three years later, he was suspended for 14 months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for receiving a prohibited intravenous infusion.
But the four-time Olympian will aim to move past the unfortunate incidents. The 12-time Olympic medallist has entered six events for the trials. We will analyze the categories Lochte will swim in.
We delve deeper into the events in which he has a realistic chance of getting a ticket to Tokyo.
Events Lochte will participate in at the US Olympic Trials
Ryan Lochte will be a part of the 200m individual medley. The event is considered his pet event, in which he holds the world record. This is the only event in which he qualified for, at the Rio Olympics.
His main challengers will be 22-year-old Michael Andrew and 19-year-old Carson Foster. But the event will be his best chance to get on the plane to Japan. However, he will hope he doesn’t miss the bus as a maximum of 2 swimmers are allowed per country in each event.
Lochte will be the oldest swimmer in the 400m Individual Medley. He bagged a gold medal at the London Olympics in this event.
Americans Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland were a part of the swim at the Rio games and have listed themselves in this category. Kalisz won the silver medal in Rio, while Litherland won the same medal at the World Championships in 2019.
Lochte has also listed himself in the 200m backstroke. He won an individual Olympic gold in Beijing. The American is a 3-time world champion in that category. Ryan Murphy will be the favorite to win this category and hence, his namesake will be a stern competitor to Lochte.
In all likelihood, the veteran swimmer will drop his name from the 100m butterfly category. The 100m butterfly semi-final will be coinciding with the 200m Individual Medley finals in which Lochte has a stronger chance.
Another event he has listed for but is unlikely to participate in is the 100m backstroke category. The event clashes with the 200m freestyle where the stakes are higher as the place for the 4*200m relay is up for grabs.
For the majority of his career, Lochte has been under the shadow of Michael Phelps. This will be Lochte's first appearance at the Olympics, sans Phelps.
The spotlight over the next week will be on Caeleb Dressel, who is tipped as a successor to Phelps. The 24-year-old will be vying for a spot in as many as 7 events. Lochte, however, will grab more eyeballs than the youngster and will be the emotional favorite at the trials.
In all likelihood, Tokyo will be the legendary swimmer’s final hurray and it will be enthralling if he finishes on the podium. But before that, the test in Omaha over the next week will be as tough as, or perhaps tougher, than the one he will face in Japan.
It will be an emotional story to share with future generations if Ryan Lochte makes the Tokyo Olympics. However, at the moment the odds are stacked against him. But as the saying goes, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going". The veteran swimmer definitely possesses the ability to qualify and finish his celebrated career on a high.
