Ryan Lochte on Enhanced Games: “It’s Going to be Life-Changing”

The first edition of the Enhanced Games is now in the books, and with it, plenty of talking points and mixed reviews. Among the major names in the sport to have given their opinions on it is 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte, and his views are not against the event but rather in support of it.

In an interview with Rhiannon O’Donohoe, published in a report from brobible.com, and featured on the Enhanced Games Instagram, Lochte mentioned that he feels the event, more specifically the financial upside for athletes, is “life-changing”.

“I could see more and more swimmers, athletes moving over to the Enhanced Games because it’s life-changing financial stability.” Lochte said in the interview. “It’s going to be life-changing.”

Lochte, 41, who has been out of racing for over five years, recently announced that he will serve as an assistant coach at Missouri State this upcoming college season, but admits that with the Enhanced Games, he wishes he was still swimming.

“I wish I was still swimming. It’s not just about taking enhancements. To be honest, it’s about the money, the prize money. They’re giving money that is life-changing for these athletes.” Lochte said. “When I was swimming, I was lucky enough to be paid by multiple sponsors and everything like that. But my swimming federation, getting a gold medal at the Olympics, you get 50 grand for a gold medal at the Olympics. You’re number one in the entire world and you only get 50 grand? Like, come on, you can’t support a family like that.”

He mentioned Cody Miller, who Lochte competed alongside at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, who made $500,000 at the Enhanced Games for winning both the 50 breast and 100 breast. He also mentioned non-enhanced athlete Hunter Armstrong, and explained that his winnings completely outweigh that of an Olympic Gold medal-winning performance.

“Cody Miller, a good friend of mine, I swam with him at the Olympics. He made $500,000 in two races [at the Enhanced Games]. That is life-changing for him and his family. And I know why he did it, because he wanted to help his family out. My hat goes off to him.” Lochte said in the report from brobile.com. “There’s that other swimmer, that backstroker [Hunter Armstrong]. He didn’t take any enhancements, but he was able to compete. When he won, he got $250K. What? You’re getting quadruple the amount that you would get if you weren’t doping and winning a gold medal at the Olympics. This is just winning a race.”

Lochte, whos is among the most decorated Olympians, regardless of sport, in history, said that he feels that the money is now going into the correct hands, the athletes.

“They’re finally getting to the point where all these top people, they’re making so much money, like the CEOs and all that, but then the actual athletes that show up, are getting nothing. So now it’s the other way around.” Lochte said. “The swimmers, the people that are actually competing, are getting the most amount of money. That’s how it should be.”

Throughout the Enhanced Games, only one World Record mark was surpassed, which came at the hands of Kristian Gkolomeev in the 50 free, clocking 20.81, earning him an additional $1 million bonus, on top of winning two events, bringing his total payout to $1.5 million.

In the interview, Lochte gives an interesting perspective on the world record, Lochte pulls from his own experiences of racing, where he says many people were doping, and if a world record is broken,  “it’s all in the same category.”

“If an enhancement person breaks a world record – hey, we have records because they’re meant to be broken. No matter if you’re taking supplements or not, they’re meant to be broken. That’s why we have records.” Lochte said. “I swam enhancement-free. I went against people that were doping and I came up on top. So I think a world record, if it gets broken, it’s all in the same category. It doesn’t matter. That’s my opinion.”