Ryan Lochte is known for being one of the best professional swimmers in the world. Lochte is a 12 time Olympic medalist and has competed in several Olympic games. Although he is known for being one the best, his recent scandal has people questioning his values.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games, Lochte claimed he was “held at gunpoint and robbed” after coming back from a night of celebrating a successful game. Once these claims were made public, Brazilian officials investigated the story and later found out that Lochte lied about the incident and actually destroyed the property of a gas station.
When the truth came out about the night in Rio de Janeiro, Lochte’s world came spiraling down. Many people who were inspired by him had lost respect for the famous athlete. Not only did he lose respect from fans, he also lost sponsors including Speedo. He was soon to be remembered as the famous swimmer who lied to the world.
Ryan Lochte was not going to let his one mistake brand him for the rest of his life. To try and redeem himself he joined the 23rd season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
In an interview with Amy Robach on “Good Morning America,” Lochte explained, “I just want to move forward and I want the whole world to move forward. Everyone’s got to be sick and tired of hearing about this. I know I am. I just want to forward and put on my dancing shoes. Or at least try to!”
In hopes of gaining respect back from his fans, he headed to the ballroom. Lochte did not get the response he was hoping to receive after his first performance on “Dancing With the Stars.” While receiving the judge’s critique, two protestors rushed the dance floor. Lochte and his partner, Cheryl Burke, were startled by the protestors. Some people in the audience were also yelling anti-Lochte chants.
“You know at that moment, I was really heartbroken,” he explained to CNN. “My heart just sunk. It felt like somebody just ripped it apart. I just had to brush it off.”
Although his first national performance on television after the Rio incident did not go as planned, Lochte is not giving up. As each week goes on in the show, Lochte hopes to redeem himself to his fans and to the world.
