Ryan Lochte Says His 99-Year-Old Grandmother Survived COVID-19

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte says his 99-year-old grandmother survived COVID-19, according to a post on the swimming icon’s Instagram.

“As of today, my grandma who is 99 years young is a COVID survivor!!”, the 35-year-old Lochte wrote on Instagram today. “I am in awe of her strength and I couldn’t be more proud to share this news!!”

COVID-19 is the disease associated with the novel 2019 coronavirus that has caused a worldwide pandemic this year. The sport of swimming has been effectively been suspended across the globe to prevent the spread of the virus, which poses a particular threat to older people or those with underlying medical conditions.

Lochte has introduced fans to his grandmother via social media before. In 2016, Lochte posted a video of his grandma, then 95, carrying a makeshift Olympic torch in her nursing home while her grandson was in Rio winning the 12th Olympic medal of his banner career.

Lochte is still hoping to make his fifth-straight U.S. Olympic team next summer. He’s won six gold medals (one in 2004, two in 2008, two more in 2012 and one more medal in 2016) and remains the world record-holder in the 200 IM. Lochte will turn 36 this summer and will be nearly 37 by the time the U.S. selects its roster for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021.

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moddiddle
4 years ago

I believe this as much as I believe he was held at gunpoint

Ferb
Reply to  moddiddle
4 years ago

He actually was. There is little dispute about that.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Ferb
4 years ago

lollllll

Xman
Reply to  moddiddle
4 years ago

95 year old Grandmother survives hearing her grandson was held up at gunpoint in Brazil.

Ladyvoldisser
4 years ago

Great story! Go Lochte Family!!!

Konner Scott
4 years ago

Starting to understand where Lochte gets his longevity from.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Konner Scott
4 years ago

hahahahha

Khachaturian
4 years ago

She has her eyes set on the 100 year mark

tm71
Reply to  Khachaturian
4 years ago

And I give her better odds than her grandson winning individual gold next year

joe
4 years ago

Jeah!

OhioSwimmer
Reply to  joe
4 years ago

You beat me to it 🙁

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  OhioSwimmer
4 years ago

lollll

torchbearer
4 years ago

He has good genes!

Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

…”carrying a makeshift Olympic torch in her nursing home.” I hope I’m still vertical at that point.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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