Ryan Lochte is returning to the coach who helped him become the world’s best swimmer.
Lochte is moving back to the University of Florida to train under Gregg Troy, who guided him to 11 medals among the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. For a stretch around 2011, Lochte overtook Michael Phelps as the world’s best swimmer.
“There are many things that he could have done better during the last couple of years, in and out of the pool, and we believe that Gainesville affords him the best opportunity to get back to what made him so great,” Lochte’s agent said in a statement Monday. “The Gainesville swimming community has always been supportive of Ryan, and he is excited that he will be joining them once again.”
Lochte, bidding for his fifth Olympics in 2020 when he will be 35, chose Troy after spending the early months of his return from suspension working under Dave Salo in Southern California. The Salo partnership was always going to be a temporary one until Lochte’s son was born June 8.
Lochte and Troy first connected when the swimmer enrolled at UF in 2002 and enjoyed a dazzling run together for 11 years.
They split in 2013, and Lochte went to work with David Marsh in Charlotte. That Olympic cycle did not go as planned. Lochte was sidelined significantly by injuries, including at the Olympic Trials, then had his gas-station incident in Rio.
After the Olympics, Lochte got engaged, moved from Charlotte to Southern California and became a father.
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