Ryan Lochte opens up about 2016 Rio incident: 'I was like the worst guy in the world'
Lochte's ordeal led to suspension from USA Swimming
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ryan Lochte, a six-time Olympic gold medalist who was thrust into the national spotlight during the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil, opened up Wednesday about the incident.
Lochte appeared on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s "Uncut" podcast and talked about the situation that occurred with him and other teammates in Rio de Janeiro. Lochte claimed he and the swimmers were robbed at gunpoint at a gas station but it was later revealed Lochte had vandalized a poster. He would later apologize for the ordeal and receive a suspension from USA Swimming.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ryan Lochte of the United States reacts after competing in the Men's 200m individual medley final during Day Six of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center on June 18, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
The 37-year-old accomplished swimmer told Cutler at that moment he felt like he was the "worst guy in the world."
"I had rude awakenings being where everyone loved me and I was on top of the world, I felt like. And then in one stupid night ... gone. I was like the worst guy in the world or something at one point," he said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lochte said he didn’t believe he actually lied about anything, saying he was met with a gun pointed near him and not at his head. The so-called armed robbers turned out to be security guards. Brazilian officials said at the time guns were used to "control the situation," according to ESPN.
Ryan Lochte cries during an interview after the men's 200 individual medley during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on Friday, June 18, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
"They did the investigation. I didn't do anything wrong. What I said was right. The only thing I fabricated was when the gun was pointed to me, I said it was pointed to my head, but it was like 3 or 4 feet away," the swimmer said on the podcast.
Lochte failed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team over the summer. He said that part was "very tough."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was one of the hardest things besides 2016. … was just waking up and looking myself in the mirror like, 'Damn, I'm a failure.' You learn from everything that happens in your life, good or bad."
In this July 31, 2019, file photo, Ryan Lochte competes in the men's 200-meter individual medley time trial at the U.S. national swimming championships in Stanford, California. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
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Lochte said in June that even though he failed to make the team, he wasn’t retiring, according to People. He vowed to continue trying to "grow the sport."