FloridaGatorforLife
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GAINESVILLE - Ryan Lochte is heartbreak waiting to happen. He is one of the greatest swimmers this country has known, with all the ability and charm to be an Olympic champion and a national icon.
But because he was born at the wrong time, he might be forgotten.
His goal is not to set world records, because he already has done that. His challenge is to beat one of the best swimmers in history, his friend Michael Phelps, who has obliterated records and teammates in lanes next to him.
Lochte is up for the fight. Every time he steps into the blocks, he believes he can beat Phelps. Will it happen this summer at the Olympics in Beijing? Or will Lochte go down as the best silver medalist of all time?
"I'm probably one of the only people who when they swim against Michael Phelps, they swim to win," said Lochte, who trains in Gainesville and went to Port Orange Spruce Creek High. "Because most swimmers, when they race in the same heat as Michael Phelps, they say, 'Well, Phelps is going to win, so I'm going to try to get second.' That's not how my brain thinks."
But it is how other people see it. In 2004 in Athens, Greece, Phelps won eight medals. Lochte, competing in his first Olympics, won two. One was silver in the 200-meter individual medley. He lost to Phelps.
This year at the world championships in Melbourne, Australia, Lochte finished second to Phelps in the 200 IM and 400 IM. Since 2004, Phelps has won all 12 times he and Lochte have faced each other in major meets in the 200 and 400 IM. Lochte has finished second 10 times.
The medley is the most challenging event, because it includes all four swimming disciplines: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. In the world rankings, Phelps is No. 1 in both IM events. Lochte is No. 2.
Despite the second-place finishes, Lochte, 23, gives credit to Phelps for helping him become better.
"If he wasn't in the sport of swimming, I don't think I would be as fast or doing what I'm capable of doing," Lochte said. "You want to beat him; you want to progress."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/gators/orl-lochte2307dec23,0,1727218.story
But because he was born at the wrong time, he might be forgotten.
His goal is not to set world records, because he already has done that. His challenge is to beat one of the best swimmers in history, his friend Michael Phelps, who has obliterated records and teammates in lanes next to him.
Lochte is up for the fight. Every time he steps into the blocks, he believes he can beat Phelps. Will it happen this summer at the Olympics in Beijing? Or will Lochte go down as the best silver medalist of all time?
"I'm probably one of the only people who when they swim against Michael Phelps, they swim to win," said Lochte, who trains in Gainesville and went to Port Orange Spruce Creek High. "Because most swimmers, when they race in the same heat as Michael Phelps, they say, 'Well, Phelps is going to win, so I'm going to try to get second.' That's not how my brain thinks."
But it is how other people see it. In 2004 in Athens, Greece, Phelps won eight medals. Lochte, competing in his first Olympics, won two. One was silver in the 200-meter individual medley. He lost to Phelps.
This year at the world championships in Melbourne, Australia, Lochte finished second to Phelps in the 200 IM and 400 IM. Since 2004, Phelps has won all 12 times he and Lochte have faced each other in major meets in the 200 and 400 IM. Lochte has finished second 10 times.
The medley is the most challenging event, because it includes all four swimming disciplines: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. In the world rankings, Phelps is No. 1 in both IM events. Lochte is No. 2.
Despite the second-place finishes, Lochte, 23, gives credit to Phelps for helping him become better.
"If he wasn't in the sport of swimming, I don't think I would be as fast or doing what I'm capable of doing," Lochte said. "You want to beat him; you want to progress."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/gators/orl-lochte2307dec23,0,1727218.story
