Ryan Lochte

Ryan Lochte earned the title of one of the greatest American swimmers of all time, having earned an impressive 11 Olympic medals in his career. Riding the wave of competitive swimming enthusiasm that Michael Phelps helped usher in at the 2008 Olympics, Lochte became a veritable household name during the 2012 London Summer Olympics, where he won five medals, including two golds (for 400m individual medley and 4 x 200m freestyle relay). Lochte capitalized on his name recognition and parlayed his swimming success into a role as a pop-culture figure, starring in a reality TV show called "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" (E! 2013). His media appearances led to Lochte garnering a uniquely self-mocking celebrity persona, which was parodied on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) and in social media.

Lochte was born on August 3rd, 1984 in upstate New York, where he lived until his father Steven moved the family down to Florida, so that he could be a swimming coach. Unsurprisingly, from an early age Ryan was hooked on the sport. He ended up attending the University of Florida, where he was a seven-time NCAA champion, and won swimmer of the year twice. With great genes and the benefit of having his own father as a coach, Lochte was clearly destined for great things in the swimming world. Those great things got rolling at the 2004 Olympics, the first Olympics that Lochte qualified for, alongside famed teammate Phelps. Lochte won two medals that year in Athens, and after doing great work at various international swimming competitions, was back on the Olympic team for the 2008 games, where he won his first individual gold medal. His five medals at the 2012 Olympic games would place him in a tie for second behind Phelps among the American swimmers with the most medals, alongside Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi.

Catapulting to fame due to his success in the London games, Lochte decided to take his celebrity profile to the next step: he signed a deal with the E! network to star in a reality TV show called "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" Lochte also made strides into acting, playing himself on an episode of hit sitcom "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013) in October of 2012. Some observers teased him for his easygoing, ultra-laid-back affect, insinuating that he might not be the smartest swimmer in the pool. Knowingly or not, Lochte played off his persona with sly charm. Lochte's striking good looks only aided in making him a household name. However, this period of widespread recognition proved fleeting, and Lochte soon returned to preparing for his final Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He won his fifth and six consecutive gold medals at the 2013 and 2015 World Aquatic Championships.