A Quote by Ryan Lochte

I think after the 2008 Olympics I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome, so I knew I had to change some things. — © Ryan Lochte
I think after the 2008 Olympics I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome, so I knew I had to change some things.
I was painfully shy for a long time. I mean, that's something I really had to work my way out of. And I really think it was because, after the 2008 Olympics, I spent a whole year bartending. It was the one thing that really forced me to be just not so scared to start conversations with strangers.
In some ways the ACL tear was a blessing. I had hesitated to return to elite gymnastics after the 2008 Olympics. I told myself I had already accomplished so much, and the road was just going to get harder if I continued.
It was probably right after I made my comeback - after retiring post-2008 Olympics - when I finally felt more at ease with my body. Being away from the sport helped put things in perspective.
I wasn't really happy with the way 2008 turned out for me. I wanted to change some things.
I wanted to bring the book out right now because I think anyone who cares about Tibet knew there would be disturbances in the run up to the Olympics [2008]. Many Tibetans feel it's their last chance to broadcast their suffering and frustration and pain to the world before the Olympics take place and China is accepted as a modern nation and the world forgets about Tibet.
So after those Games, I continued to compete that season and the year after that. I really had the goal of being intentional. I didn't want to do big tricks because it was an X Games final or an Olympics final. I wanted to call my own shots. I started to do that and I started to have more fun than I ever knew I could have.
I think we came out and got the first goals fairly easily and fairly quickly. All of a sudden they started to change the defense and they changed things up on us and I thought we got a little too comfortable. I give their goalie credit, he made some very good saves, but we just wanted to score. We changed some things halfway through the fourth quarter and we were able to generate some shots. I think for most of the year we've been good on offense. We haven't really struggled like that. We knew coming into the season that we'd have to share the ball on offense and really be efficient.
In college, I would do my teammate's hair and their makeup sometimes. I did a friend's makeup at the 2008 Olympics, and she said, 'Have you ever considered taking classes?' For some reason, it had never crossed my mind.
You never really think about what happens after the Olympics - you're just like, 'I want to compete. I want to do well' and thinking about that. After it all happened, it was such a whirlwind. I've gotten to do so many amazing things. My favorite thing was getting into acting.
I remember watching the summer Olympics as a kid and knew that I wanted to be an Olympian one day. At the time, snowboarding wasn't in the Olympics, but I knew that wouldn't stop me.
When you get into recovery after some addiction you have to relearn a lot of perceptions, attitudes and self-awareness if you want to stay clean. You really do change. Change doesn't happen often but to a certain extent in some way, I think when you get into recovery and you stay there, you change.
I've seldom met somebody who is merely satisfied working alongside siblings. You typically have a binary outcome. They either are miserable and everyone starts to hate each other, which is an unfortunate outcome that we see too often, or it is really incredible, and there's tremendous energy and mutual respect, and the parties work really well together. I've found that the middle road typically doesn't happen.
When I was 16, coming up through now at 24, it was so much I thought I had to change about myself. Especially after I won the Olympics.
I had one goal. I wanted people to really learn the tools that could change, because I taught finance for years, I network with people in their 20s, obviously, and all ages I've worked with. But I wanted to just take that to another level, and I also, quite frankly, was just angry. I was angry about the level of abuse I saw in 2008 that happened to people. I knew what happened, I had made a fortune during that time because when things melt down - and they're going to again; life is cyclical - it's one of the greatest opportunities in your life.
The Olympics were something that was put in my path. I knew I was capable, I worked so hard for it, so I guess it's like, Why wouldn't I want to go to the Olympics? But it was never something that I was really, really dead set on. It was just what my coaches and everyone else forced upon me.
I remember watching the '96 Olympics. For some reason, I was like 'Oh yeah, I'm going to go to the Olympics some day.' At that time as a kid, I did not know for what sport or really anything.
This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. More info...
Got it!