| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 1:53.94 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 6:58.56 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 7:07.33 |
| 2 | 200m Individual Medley | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 1:58.78 |
| 3 | 200m Individual Medley | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 1:56.53 |
| 3 | 400m Individual Medley | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 4:08.09 |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:44.44 |
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:52.96 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:54.00 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 4:07.13 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 7:02.67 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 1:54.10 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 4:07.01 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:09.21 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 6:58.55 |
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 1:54.32 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 7:03.24 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 7:06.58 |
| 2 | 100m Backstroke | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 53.50 |
| 2 | 200m Individual Medley | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 1:56.19 |
| 2 | 400m Individual Medley | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 4:09.74 |
| 3 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 3:11.96 |
| 3 | 200m Backstroke | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 1:53.82 |
| 3 | 200m Backstroke | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 1:57.00 |
| 3 | 200m Individual Medley | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 1:57.79 |
| Pan Pacific Championships | ||||
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 1:45.30 |
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 1:54.12 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 1:54.43 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 4:07.59 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 3:11.74 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 7:03.84 |
| World Championships Short Course | ||||
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 1:41.08 |
| 1 | 200m Backstroke | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 1:46.68 |
| 1 | 100m Individual Medley | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 50.86 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 1:50.08 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:55.50 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:20.99 |
| 2 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 6:49.58 |
| 4 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:06.10 |
Hobbies
Playing basketball, skateboarding and surfing. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Education
Sports Management - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Club name
Daytona Beach Swimming, Gainesville, FL, USA
Coach
Gregg Troy (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Sporting relatives
Before swimming, he played soccer, lacrosse and basketball. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Other sports
Both his parents were swimming coaches. Also his older sister, Megan, was a competitive swimmer. His father is head coach and his older sister Kristin is a coach at Daytona Beach Swim Club. (usolympicteam.com, 05 Dec 2007; USA Swimming 12 Jul 2011)
Injuries
He tore his MCL while dancing in October 2009 and had to have emergency knee surgery. That kept him from competing at the Duel in the Pool meet in Manchester, England, that year. He was able to get back into the water in January 2010. (FINA World Aquatics Magazine, 01 Feb 2010)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He started swimming competitively at the age of nine in Rochester, United States. (ryanlochte.net, 22 Jan 2007)
Reason for taking up this sport
His parents were swimming coaches, so he fell into it. Also, he met Olympic champion Pablo Morales at the 1992 US Olympic Trials just before Morales won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. (FINA World Aquatics Magazine, 01 Feb 2010)
Training
He swims 18km per day which breaks down to five or six hours per day, six days per week. On the weekends he will also do strong-man competitions with his weight coach, in which both of them will lift heavy tyres and boulders. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011; FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 20 Feb 2011)
Hero
In 1992 he watched the Olympic Games and saw Pablo Morales win a gold medal in the 100m butterfly. "After seeing him accomplish something that many thought he could not, I knew that I wanted to represent my country in the Olympics and win a gold medal." He also admires basketball legend Michael Jordan. (ryanlochte.net, 05 Dec 2007; FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 07 Dec 2010)
Most influential person in career
His father and former coach, Steve. "He's always been there for me.". (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I see other swimmers get all quiet and intense before they race, and that is just not me. The way I look at it is the events that you swim, you swim every day in practice. It's basically like breathing because you do it so many times, so why do you need to think about it before your race?" (New York Times, 28 Nov 2007)
"Go big, or go home." (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 07 Dec 2010)
Awards
He was named the Southeastern Conference [SEC] Male Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2006. He was also named the SEC Freshman of the Year. (NBC Olympics, 29 Jul 2008)
He was twice named NCAA Swimmer of the Year (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
He was named 2009 Male Swimmer of the Year at the annual Golden Goggles award gala. (FINA World Aquatics Magazine, 01 Feb 2010)
He was named the best swimmer of 2010 by FINA after winning seven medals at the FINA World Swimming Championships [25m] in Dubai. (FINA, 31 Dec 2010)
General
STREAK-BREAKER
At the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne he set a world record in the 200m backstroke, ending teammate Aaron Peirsol's seven-year winning streak in the event. (sports.yahoo.com, 01 Dec 2007)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008, Athens 2004
