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Olympic legend Ryan Lochte sells three gold medals for shocking price

Once the face of USA Swimming along with Michael Phelps, the six-time Olympic gold medalist has struggled since his days in the pool.
Matt Ryan|
Jun 17, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Ryan Lochte reacts in the Men s 200m Individual Medley Semifinals Heat 1 during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Swimming competition at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Jun 17, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Ryan Lochte reacts in the Men s 200m Individual Medley Semifinals Heat 1 during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Swimming competition at CHI Health Center Omaha. | Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

Along with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte was the other face of USA men’s swimming. His life since winning a gold medal in the 2016 Rio Summer Games has led him to the point where he’s selling off his medals.

Lochte, now 41, won 12 Olympics medals over four Olympics in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 (6 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze).

Since then, Lochte has had a life full of twists and turns. He’s navigated controversies, including a sale of his medals in 2022 (more on that later), a public struggle with addiction that led him to rehab, and a near-fatal car crash in 2024.

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Now, he’s going through a contentious divorce with model Kayla Rae Reid, who filed for it in March.

While Lochte is appearing on the reality show Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check, his life has led to financial strain and the need to sell off more medals.

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Ryan Lochte
IMAGO / Depositphotos

His gold medals fetch huge sum of money

While his 2022 sale was for bronze and silver medals that auctioned for $166k, this time he parted with three of his golds for a staggering $385k.

Lochte fired back at critics when he put the medals up for action, and talked about why in his post:

It may be just a medal but it represents so much more. Lochte’s sale of them just shows how hard his fall from grace has been.

Ryan Lochte
Lochte with his gold medal at the Rio Summer Games in 2016. | IMAGO / Photo News

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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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