He is the third-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by total number of medals, behind only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.

Lochte swam the 100-meter individual medley in a then-world record 50.71 seconds on December 15, 2012, at the FINA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

[5] In 2016, Lochte generated international controversy when he claimed that he and three other American swimmers had been pulled over and robbed by armed men with police badges while in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Ultimately, the athletes each released statements, and one swimmer paid a fine of approximately $10,800 to a Brazilian charity in order to get his passport back.

[11] In July 2017, the court in Brazil dismissed the charges against Lochte, saying his actions "did not rise to the level of filing a false crime report.

[13] On May 24, 2018, the same day he had received the infusion, Lochte had posted a picture – since deleted – on Instagram "showing him receiving an intravenous injection of what he says were 'vitamins'," even though the USADA bans "intravenous infusions of permitted substances at volumes greater than 100 millilitres [3.5 imp fl oz; 3.4 US fl oz] in a 12-hour period without a special 'Therapeutic Use Exemption'," Vox reported.

[20] As a member of the Florida Gators swimming and diving team, he swam for coach Gregg Troy in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) competition from 2004 to 2007.

[26] At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Lochte swam with Phelps, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay to upset the Australian team and capture the gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

[29][30] Later that year, at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis, Lochte won the silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley and the bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.

With Phelps, Ricky Berens, and Vanderkaay, he won his first gold medal and set his first world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56.

The Americans were the first team to break the seven-minute mark in the relay, and broke the previous record, set in Melbourne, Australia, by more than four and a half seconds.

[54] In his third event, the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte won his first individual gold medal and set the world record, beating defending champion Peirsol.

[61] In his first event at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Lochte swam the second leg of the men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.03.

Combined with Phelps, Berens, and David Walters, Lochte won the gold medal and his team broke the previous world record by one-hundredth of a second with a time of 6:58.55.

Shortly after completing the 200-meter backstroke, Lochte competed in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Peter Vanderkaay, and Ricky Berens.

[92] In his first event at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Lochte combined with Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, and Jimmy Feigen in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, with the team finishing behind France.

Alongside Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel, and Missy Franklin, he was also part of the winning and world record-breaking 4×100-meter mixed freestyle relay.

However, his amended story raised concerns about the facts, and a witness who also translated between the security guards and the athletes claimed that the swimmers had stopped to use the fuel station's bathroom, damaged the sign on the premises, and that he stepped in when it was obvious that events could get out of control.

[101] The charges were later dismissed by a court, which stated that Lochte's actions "did not rise to the level of filing a false crime report.

"[102] On August 30, 2016, when appearing on Good Morning America, he said that he was unsure how he would classify the incident, stating, "I don't know if I would consider it as a robbery, or extortion, or us just paying up for the poster being ripped.

[107] On July 23, 2018,[13] the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) imposed a 14-month suspension from competition on Lochte because, on May 24 of that year, he received a 'prohibited intravenous infusion.

'[108] "I have never taken a prohibitive [sic] substance," Lochte told the media, "I have never attempted to gain any advantage by putting anything illegal in my body...I may be on the sideline from competition, but I'll continue to train every day...I want nothing more than to earn the privilege to swim for my country in my fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.

"[109] On May 24, 2018, the same day he had received the infusion, Lochte had posted a picture - since deleted - on Instagram "showing him receiving an intravenous injection of what he says were 'vitamins'," even though the USADA bans "intravenous infusions of permitted substances at volumes greater than 100 millilitres [3.5 imp fl oz; 3.4 US fl oz] in a 12-hour period without a special 'Therapeutic Use Exemption'," Vox reported.

[14] On June 17, 2021, the fifth day of competition at the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials, Lochte swam a 1:58.48 in the morning prelims of the 200-meter individual medley, ranking second and qualifying for the semifinals.

[118] Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, Fortune magazine estimated that Lochte earned $2.3 million from endorsement deals with Speedo, Mutual of Omaha, Gillette, Gatorade, Procter and Gamble, Ralph Lauren, Nissan, and AT&T.

As Lochte offers him a beer, a narrator imitating Morgan Freeman refers to him as an 'international bozo' and notes that Peter partied with him all night.

[136] In January 2017, active-wear maker TYR Sport, Inc. signed Lochte to his first major professional swimming sponsorship deal since the Lochtegate scandal.

[137] In November 2019, Lochte revealed to Alex Rodriguez on an episode of CNBC's Back In The Game that he once made "well over $1 million" a year and also earned $75,000 from a single sponsor.

[139] This reiterated sentiments Lochte shared concerning the safety and security of individuals after protesters targeting him stormed the stage during one of his performances on the television show Dancing with the Stars in September 2016.

[140][141] During the 2016 Summer Olympics, Lochte revealed that he was in a relationship with Playboy Playmate of the Month for July 2015[142] Kayla Rae Reid, whom he first got in touch with via Instagram.