How Ryan Lochte Beat Michael Phelps at the 2011 World Championships

Thanks to presenting partner SPIRE Academy, a scholastic boarding school where individuals: excel academically, master life’s necessary personal skills, experience tomorrow’s emerging career opportunities and exceed expectations in their sport or other passion specialization.

Hear 12x Olympic medalist and Spire Ambassador Ryan Lochte describe the race strategy that won him the 200 Free World Title in 2011. In the race, he planned to go underwater for 15m off the 100 free wall, passing Michael Phelps and keeping the lead for the last 100 meters.

Watch the full race video here:

We went to a very special practice in Geneva, Ohio: a SPIRE Academy Swim Camp featuring SPIRE Ambassador Ryan Lochte.  See it the PRACTICE + PANCAKES with Lochte here.

In This Story

52
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

52 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Billy
1 year ago

Ryan was a super talented swimmer who beat a bunch of other super talented, hard working swimmers that day. Michael Phelps is human, give Ryan Lochte credit it, he was a super athlete too and swam a great race!

Ice Age Swimmer
1 year ago

I have always felt that Ryan’s textile suit 4:05 400 IM should be the real record as opposed to phelps’s 4:03 in the banned suit. For me, Ryan still has two world records! No doubt Phelps would have swum even faster if he did not swim in so many events. We were blessed to see both of them swim, that’s for sure.

mcmflyguy
Reply to  Ice Age Swimmer
1 year ago

yes and no… It should stand as the textile record. but the real record is Phelps. as phelps was not using a banned suit at the time.

Same situation with Crocker and Phelps 100 fly. Crocker 50.4 textile, took phelps a couple years to beat that in a super suit. but still stands as WR.

Swimmers know though.

steer
Reply to  mcmflyguy
1 year ago

? why would crockers 50.4 still stand as the textile record? like 3 people have gone faster than that since then in textile

mcmflyguy
Reply to  steer
1 year ago

at the time, before someone broke it.

Steve Nolan
1 year ago

I did not expect Biedermann to be that lean there. All you ever heard for a bit was how he was “fat” in 2009 when he broke all those WRs.

DLswim
Reply to  Steve Nolan
1 year ago

I don’t think people were saying he was “fat”. It’s just that he’s not lanky like Phelps or Lotche, he’s more stocky. The suits really helped people like him by increasing floatation and compressing the right places.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  DLswim
1 year ago

Right, which I will now reclassify as him just knowing that being extra plump would be an advantage in ’09.

GrameziPT
Reply to  Steve Nolan
1 year ago

Most of the people the criticize Bidermann dont know that in broke the european record in the 200m at the Mare nostrum that year with a regular arena textil. I watched him swim at that meet with tgextil suit. So the minute I swam him with a good suit )the banned suit in rome, i knew he was untouchable. Also he swam most of his career with terrible Adidas suits (leggings). The moment he switched to a normal suit he was imediatly one o fthe best in the world. People should give him some credit even though he didnt win an olympic medal.

Austinpoolboy
1 year ago

5 guys under 1:45!

Luigi
1 year ago

Lochte was in the form of his life, Phelps was in a very different phase of his career. Still, both fantastic swimmers, who managed to “hijack” the 200 free without being really freestyle specialists.

tea rex
1 year ago

“How Ryan Lochte Beat Michael Phelps at the 2011 World Championships”… Showed up to practice every day.

Philip Johnson
1 year ago

2011 is the 2nd greatest individual performances of all-time I believe.

Pvdh
Reply to  Philip Johnson
1 year ago

I can’t see how it’s better than Mike in 07.

Splashanddasher
Reply to  Pvdh
1 year ago

2011 is good but 07 MP was on another planet. He was the best butterfly, the best IMer, best 200 freestyler, swam a lead off 100 free that could’ve won him the individual title at worlds, and swam if I remember the second fastest 100 & 200 back strokes at the time at Nationals later that year. 2007 MP was a freakshow.

oxyswim
Reply to  Splashanddasher
1 year ago

If he hadn’t broken his wrist late in 07, his Beijing games might have been even freakier.

OldNotDead
1 year ago

He beat MP because he was faster.

Riccardo
Reply to  OldNotDead
1 year ago

Faster in the 200 IM than Phelps ever was!

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

Read More »