Ryan Lochte Deserved To Win Gold Over Michael Phelps

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Although Michael Phelps is an amazing swimmer and athlete, I was so happy to see Ryan Lochte take home the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley in the 2012 Olympics. He deserved to win and I’m happy he did!

July 28 was a weird day. First, reigning Olympic champion Michael Phelps just barely made it in the finals for the 400-meter IM. Then, in the actual event, he didn’t even medal! Fellow American Ryan Lochte took home the gold while Phelps fell to fourth place. It was the first time Phelps failed to medal in an Olympic event since 2000. It was definitely a shock but I’m so happy Ryan won!

On the day of the race, 49% of HollywoodLifers thought Phelps would win while 42% thought Lochte would take home the gold. Phelps was a favorite — winning gold would have secured an Olympic win in the same event for three straight games. I loved watching Phelps win eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but recently, something has been off about him.

Phelps just does’t seem to have the same intensity he once did for competing and for the Olympics in general. In every interview I’ve seen, he seems rushed, frustrated and angry with his performance. Even though Phelps said his goal was to have fun – ”I have a great opportunity to put a big cherry on top of my ice cream,” he said to NBC’s Bob Costas — he seems competitive but at the same time, indifferent.

Ryan, on the other hand, seems ready to step into the limelight. Before the London games, Lochte had already won six Olympic medals, but I had barely heard of him. Lochte had been totally overshadowed by a triumphant Phelps in previous years. But in the last four years since Beijing, Lochte has gotten stronger, faster, better….and hotter!

I was so thrilled to see Ryan Lochte win the gold. He seems like such a great, fun person. He skateboards, he has a diamond grill he wears on the medal podium and he loves tweeting. Scheduled into his carefree lifestyle, Ryan works day and night in the gym and in the pool. I am so happy he has achieved everything he has worked so hard for.

Occasionally he comes across as cocky, but really, he should be. He has a super hot body and is an amazing talent. And I think he’s just confident, not cocky. He’s only in this position because he’s earned it.

With Phelps poised to become the most decorated Olympian of all time, I’m glad Ryan Lochte got his moment in the golden spotlight.

–Dory Larrabee

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and you deserve to fall off a cliff and die for that comment.

are you freakin kidding me??? First of all, there’s something really ugly about a competitor who can’t stop talking about how much better you are than your competitors. Actions speak louder than words. Sure he won that race but he quickly got cocky and cost the U.S. the medley. I wish he HADNT won… then he would have tried HARDER for the medley. He has remarkable hubris

It was ONE race! Congrats to Lochte, but Phelps is and will be remembered as the Greatest of all time! And if this is supposed to be Lochte’s breakout year, too bad he blew the lead in the 4×100 relay, a relay in which Phelps had the best split on the team, second best in the meet. And since you would like to call Phelps out on his 4th place finish…***Spoiler Alert: Lochte Lost the 200m free placing 4th! Ryan ‘Its My Time Now’ Lochte is super arrogant! Every Olympian works hard to get there, not just him. This post is beyond shallow, you may as well have called it, ‘Ryan Should Win Because He Is Hot,Cocky, and I Like It’. P.S. Who still wears a grill in 2012?! Better yet who still thinks a grill is still cool in 2012… Oh! I know, Dory Larrabee.

TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!!!!! right on sister!

i’m not feeling phelps, but i haven’t really followed him other than his bong photo scandal. just a gut thing, but i never really liked the guy. he has always come across as arrogant. (call me crazy, but even with the “grills” and crazy closet/sneakers, lochte came across as humble to me. seriously, is that crazy?) i felt bad for feeling this way, but truly did feel happy that he lost… and i had the sense that he had some secret pleasure in the fact that lochte was on the last leg of the team loss. (it bears noting that the french guy that flew buy lochte, also beat phelps’ split/time on that race.) in any case, i’ll be happy to see phelps go. was never a fan… and, lochte is looking HOT. (and i’m too old to say that about anybody…)