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Ryan Lochte Olympic and World Champion
- Markos Papadatos
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Markos Papadatos interviewed 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte about his new coaching gig at Missouri State University, where he will serve as an Assistant Swim Coach for the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Teams. He will work alongside Head Coach Dave Collins.
This high-profile full-time position marks his transition from the pool deck to his first professional coaching position. His goal is to serve as a mentor for young student-athletes and help them build discipline and resilience, in an effort to become the best version of themselves.
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” This quote applies to Ryan Lochte, 41.
Lochte is one of the most accomplished athletes in Olympic history, with 12 Olympic medals and a career defined by strong performances at the highest level. He is the second most decorated male swimmer in Olympic history. He won a total of 12 Olympic medals (six gold, three silver and three bronze) across four Summer Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016).
Coaching position at Missouri State University
On his new coaching gig, Lochte exclaimed, “I am so excited. I always knew I was a good swimmer but when I started teaching and doing private lessons, I started seeing kids drop times dramatically thanks to the skills and techniques that they learned from my swim clinics. These kids have implemented these skills into their practice, and I just found a new niche for coaching.”
“I have the same fire that I had when I was swimming competitively - and when I was trying to be the best - and now I want to become one of the best swimming coaches in the world,” he noted.
“I think I'm just so fired up about this because I can help these young athletes chase after their dreams now, and that's what I love to do. I love helping other people out,” he elaborated.
“It’s so awesome to be on the outside now looking in and watching swimming and just seeing the sport evolve from a different perspective. it's pretty cool,” he added.
Taking cues from his parents
“Ironically enough, both of my parents have coached me. My mom was my first coach. She taught me about having good technique and pretty strokes. Then, my father wanted to sharpen my ‘pretty strokes’ with more hard work.”
“Both of my parents, along with my coach Gregg Troy, who is the best coach in the world in my eyes… they all came together to form a ‘super coach’ and they taught me everything I needed to know to move forward,” he elaborated.
“Now, I want to be the same inspiration to the youth over at Missouri State University. It’s so cool to be in this position that I am in now,” he added.
Ryan Lochte - The International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee
Ryan Lochte was officially inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) on May 16th 2026. He was honored at the 61st annual Induction Ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he formally received his accolade alongside other icons in the sport, including his own coach Gregg Troy and fellow Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian.
“I was so stocked to get inducted,” Lochte exclaimed. “I was so happy that Gregg Troy and Nathan Adrian were getting inducted as well.”
“This was such good recognition for all the hard work that I’ve done throughout my entire life, and it has finally paid off,” he said.
“The Swimming Hall of Fame ceremony was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and I got to see the new pool, which is amazing! They really outdid themselves. It truly felt like a welcome home,” he expressed.
“I've been going to that swimming pool since I was 11 years old and just to see them re-do it was pretty cool,” he noted.
“Again, to share that induction ceremony with my father, as well as my coach Gregg Troy and my girlfriend Molly meant everything to me. It was simply a wonderful night,” Lochte added.
Life with his girlfriend Molly
For Lochte, his loyal and supportive girlfriend Molly is the best thing that has ever happened to him.
“Our life is just amazing,” he admitted. “I’m on Cloud 9 every day. I wake up happy every day because I look over at her each day. I see all of our kids… we have six kids, and we are like the Brady Bunch.”
“Life lately is a blessing, and I am just so thankful for everything has happened to me,” he said. “All of the ups and downs in my entire life have led me to the person I am today, and it has all led me to this perfect life that I am living right now.”
“Life with Molly has been so much fun and I cannot wait to move full-time to Missouri in the beginning of July,” he added.
Lochte on Leon Marchand breaking his world record
Frenchman Leon Marchard recently broke Lochte’s 14-year world record of 1:54.00 in the men's 200 meter individual medley (IM), which he set back on July 28, 2011.
“I knew my record was going to get broken. I just didn't think it was going to get broken by that much (1:52.69). Leon is a phenom. He is going to be the face of swimming for the next couple of years, and it’s all good for the sport. That's why we have records. They are meant to be broken,” he explained.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Lochte revealed, “Lochte 2.0.”
“I am finally finding myself again,” he said. “It’s going to be epic at Missouri State University. I have found happiness and the confidence that I lost over the past nine years. I’ve found it and I owe it all to Molly because she has helped me find it, and she brought me back to life.”
“So, everything that has happened in my life has been worth it. Now, there is only one way for me to go in my life, and that's up,” he underscored.
Swim Clinics at Life Time in Garden City, New York
Lochte has hosted "Legendary Swim Academy" clinics at the Life Time Athletic club in Garden City, New York, in partnership with his father, Coach Steven Lochte on two separate occasions.
These multi-hour events were designed to teach aspiring swimmers of all ages proper stroke mechanics, starts, and flip turns (and all the four strokes).
“The Life Time events in Garden City were amazing,” he said. “Oh my gosh. I love doing swimming clinics. I love doing coaching just because I love helping these younger generations out, and I'm a big kid myself. So, I can connect with these kids a lot better than other coaches do.”
“I am able to speak to the youth in terms where they can really understand what I am teaching them and they can actually learn. I remember when I was in their shoes,” he said.
“I love it when the parents of these students message me or DM me telling me that their kids dropped anywhere from four to six seconds in their swimming strokes simply because of the knowledge that they’ve gained in my clinics. To me, that is the greatest feeling in the world,” he elaborated.
“That is really awesome and it reassures me that this is what I was meant to do. I just love giving back and I will continue to do so in any way that I can,” he added.
Visiting Athens, Greece with Michael Andrew in 2022
From December 2 to 4, 2022, Lochte visited Greece with fellow Olympic gold medalist Michael Andrew, and they hosted a swimming clinic in Athens at the OAKA Indoor Swimming Pool.
“That was fun with so many memories being brought back,” he admitted. “When I first got there, it was really emotional because Athens was the first Olympics where I ever earned two medals for Team USA. I went to the exact same pool where I made my dreams come true.”
“I just remembered looking behind the block that we won the gold medal in the 4 x 200 meter relay, and I was just overcome with memories. I remembered what Michael Phelps had told us back then before me and the other relay swimmers got on those blocks, and it really hit me. That was so awesome,” he recalled.
“Then, I realized, ‘man, that was a long time ago, I’m old now’,” he said with a sweet laugh. “So, Athens, Greece, was where my Olympic career started, and everything took off from that point.”
“Doing the swim clinic there nearly two decades later was awesome too, and the language barrier didn’t bother me at all. It was basically me just having fun with kids. Michael Andrew and I had a great time together,” Lochte said.
“I really got to know Michael and his father, Peter, who was there too. Michael’s whole family is so nice and sweet. I hope we get to do more international swim clinics together,” he added.
Ryan Lochte holds Michael Andrew in the highest regards
Speaking of Michael Andrew, Lochte holds him in the highest regards, and thanks him for constant respect and support.
“While I didn’t make the U.S. Olympic team at the 2021 Olympic Trials, that was a very emotional time,” he noted, however, Lochte felt the love and support from two different Michaels in swimming (Michael Phelps and Michael Andrew) at that event.
“Having Michael Phelps come down and give me a big hug and hearing him tell him that ‘the journey is not over’ meant a lot to me, especially since I thought it was over right there when I failed to make the Olympic team, but I’m happy I passed the baton on to the right hands… Michael Andrew’s hands. Both Michaels are both great guys,” Lochte elaborated.
Ryan Lochte remembers legendary Olympic swimming coach Jon Urbanchek
Lochte also fondly remembered his late swimming coach Jon Urbanchek who passed away in May of 2024. “I loved that guy,” Lochte said. “His famous words were: Keep it moving, move it! I learned so many great quotes from him… he was just awesome and an amazing swimming coach!”
Message for his fans and supporters
For his dedicated fans and supporters, Lochte expressed, “Thank you so much! It has been a roller coaster ride, and you guy have stuck with me, and you’ve never got off the ride.”
“The fans have stuck with me through thick and thin… through a lot of ups and downs and I thank them wholeheartedly. I love my fans,” he concluded.
To learn more about Olympic champion and Assistant University Swimming Coach Ryan Lochte, follow him on Instagram.