Ryan Lochte: US swimmer says he contemplated suicide after Rio News

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Ryan Lochte: US swimmer says he contemplated suicide after Rio

By Daily Sports on June 7, 2017

American Swimmer Ryan Lochte says he had suicidal thoughts amid the fallout from his behaviour at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The 32-year-old falsely claimed he was robbed at gunpoint during the Games and was banned for 10 months in September.

"After Rio, I was probably the most hated person in the world," the six-time Olympic gold medallist told ESPN.

"There were a couple of points where I was crying, thinking, 'If I go to bed and never wake up, fine.'"

Asked whether that meant he considered suicide, Lochte nodded, adding: "I was about to hang up my entire life."

Lochte, who has won 12 Olympic medals, is one of the most successful swimmers in history. He won gold at Rio 2016 in the 4x200m freestyle relay alongside team-mates Conor Dwyer, Townley Haas, and Michael Phelps.

But his actions following the final races in the pool provoked harsh criticism.

"You can be at the all-time high and then the next second the all-time low," he said. "I love being at the Olympics, but I'm the opposite of what you'd expect.

"It's been that way my whole life. I don't fit in."

*Photo shows Ryan Lochte.

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 7, 2017