First-date questions with Ryan Lochte
My first date with Ryan Lochte went really well. Technically, there were about 14 other people there. And, technically, it wasn’t a date. It was more like a press conference. OK. It was a press conference, previewing a big swim meet in Charlotte this weekend.
Still, the 20 minutes covered all of the normal questions a person would ask on a first date.
Did you get your tan in Charlotte?
No, it’s from his training trip to Australia.
“I’m still keeping that tan going now that we’re here in Charlotte and it’s getting warmer,” said Lochte, who moved to Charlotte in fall 2013 to train with coach David Marsh for the 2016 Olympics.
@RyanLochte Parachute work @SpeedoUSA…All Out-10 kicks, 3 fly strokes-drop belt-3 free cycles No Breath (of course) pic.twitter.com/ydcbxAvBjj
— David Marsh (@dmswimmac) May 8, 2015
So, you swim?
You could say that.
Lochte is an 11-time Olympic medalist (the math: 5 gold medals + 3 silver medals + 3 bronze medals = 11 medals) and he holds world records in the 200 and 400 individual medley.
“Honestly,” he said, “I can’t see myself retiring any time soon because I’m having so much fun in the sport. To me, what makes this sport so much fun is the racing.”
What’s your idea of a great first date night?
He said he’s not opposed to wining and dining, however: “Because I train so hard every day, all I want to do is just go home, sit on my couch, eat some pizza and wings (from Libretto’s) with my dog … and if a girl wants to join me and do that, that’s awesome.”
(I see. And your address is…?)
Now that is a good dinner. #pizza #allday #mehungry #jeah pic.twitter.com/Qd2VcDVDqR
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) October 18, 2014
Where do you go for some good old Charlotte fun?
He said he has pretty much explored everything here.
“I went to Carowinds, the amusement park, last weekend,” he said. “I think that was the most fun I’ve had. I was just like a little kid.”
Except that he was on a date. Lochte dished to WCNC about the science teacher/soccer coach he has been seeing for a couple of weeks.
Who do you hang out with?
Twenty-two-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps, for one. The two are long-time teammates and rivals.
“I think it’s one of the best rivalries in sports just because of what he has accomplished and what I have been able to do recently and in my past years,” Lochte said. “The best thing about our rivalry is, no matter (whether we) win or lose, at the end of the day we are still going to be friends. We don’t hold grudges to each other … We can easily go out to dinner, hang out, (not) even talk about swimming, just have a good time.”
Phelps suggested he won’t be hitting the streets much this weekend while he’s in Charlotte for a meet that pits him against Lochte. He’ll be staying off his feet between swims.
His favorite spots to reenergize: “My hotel bed. Anywhere where I can find something to eat quick.”
He doesn’t mind limiting his activities to the pools and the hotels of the cities he travels to for swimming.
“I know what I’m here to do.”
Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte in Charlotte: ‘It’s showtime.’ @scott_fowler column: http://t.co/onPfvmEzvL pic.twitter.com/LzHvhCfUng — Mike Persinger (@mikepersinger) May 14, 2015
What are you up to this weekend?
Competing in the 31st annual Arena Pro Swim Series at Charlotte.
“This meet, we’re not really gearing up for it,” Lochte said. “I think we want to come into this meet kind of tired and just stand up on the blocks and race.”
Photo by Mark Hames/Charlotte Observer.
This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 1:43 AM with the headline "First-date questions with Ryan Lochte."