Ryan Lochte Will Make Competitive Return at U.S. Nationals

After a 14-month competitive ban for receiving an intravenous vitamin infusion at a volume over the allowed limit, 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte will make his return to racing at the 2019 U.S. National Championships in Palo Alto, California, next week, where he is entered in six events.

Per a press release from USA Swimming:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twelve-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte is set to make his return to competition next week at the Phillips 66 National Championships in Palo Alto, California. The competition at the Avery Aquatic Center runs July 31 to August 4.

Following a 14-month layoff, Lochte is entered in six events throughout the five-day competition. His first event will be the 100-meter freestyle on Wednesday, July 31. A press conference will be held following the completion of the morning’s prelims.

While the press release says that his first event will be the 100-meter freestyle, the psych sheets do not have him entered in the 100 free. He is entered in the 200 free, 400 IM, 100 fly, 100 back, 200 IM, and 400 IM.

On May 24, 2018, Lochte posted an image on social media of himself and wife Kayla Rae Reid receiving an intravenous infusion wit the caption “Athletic recovery with some #ivdrip.”

Lochte was summarily investigated by USADA and then given a 14-month suspension, despite his full cooperation during the investigation. Athletes are not permitted to receive treatments at an infusion clinic in a volume greater than 100 mL in a 12-hour period without a Therapeutic Use Exemption, which Lochte did not have.

“I wasn’t taking anything illegal. Everything was legal,” Lochte said in a press conference following USADA’s announcement. “You can get it at CVS, Walgreens, but there are rules and you have to obey them…Don’t worry. I’m not giving up. I’m going to keep going [to Tokyo 2020].”

Lochte has only raced 24 times in the three years since the Rio Olympics, but has remained in the USADA testing pool. So far in 2019 Lochte has been tested twice.

Lochte’s ban ended on Wednesday, July 24, however, the qualifying period for next week’s 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships opened June 1, 2018, and officially closed yesterday, July 23, 2019. There is a small loophole in that USA Swimming will allow late entries for swims done between the July 24th and 28th, though there is no record of Lochte having competed in the last two day in USA Swimming’s Individual Times Search database. We have asked USA Swimming to clarify where his qualifying times were hit, and have not received a response. We couldn’t find any record of the times he’s entered with in the SWIMS database.

Lochte, 34, has been a mainstay on the National Team for nearly two decades, but was not a member of the 2017-2018 National Team due to his 10-month suspension following the 2016 Rio Olympics gas station incident. Lochte returned to racing and briefly in the spring of 2018 and then received the now expired 14-month ban.

The National Team is comprised of the six fastest American performers in each Olympic swimming event, based on FINA world rankings, which pulls from USA Swimming and FINA sanctioned meets. For Lochte, cracking the top 6 in any either 400 IM or the 200 IM, his only individual LCM World Record, should be a relatively simple task as long as he’s in decent shape. The qualifying period for the 2019-2020 National Team concludes on August 25th, so for Lochte to make the team, his swims will have to come within the next month.