Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Ryan Lochte tears MCL in fan encounter

Ryan Lochte

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 03: Ryan Lochte of the USA exits the pool after the Swimming Men’s Butterfly 100m Final on day fifteen of the 15th FINA World Championships at Palau Sant Jordi on August 3, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Getty Images

A run-in with a fan in Florida left Ryan Lochte with serious knee injuries.

The 11-time Olympic medalist tore an MCL and sprained an ACL after a teenage girl ran at him, he caught her and they both toppled over Sunday, according to USA Today.

Lochte hit his knee on a curb. A Lochte representative confirmed the report.

“As a result of a freak injury caused by an unexpected fan encounter Ryan has suffered a torn MCL and an ACL sprain and will be taking a break from training and competition,” read a statement from a Lochte representative. “His medical team expects him to make a full and speedy recovery and Ryan thanks everyone for their well wishes.”

This is not Lochte’s first bizarre injury.

He tore his left meniscus break dancing, fractured a shoulder falling out of a tree, fractured a foot in a scooter accident, sprained his ankle chasing his Doberman, Carter, strained an MCL reaching for a cellphone in his car and has hurt himself skateboarding, according to various reports over the years.

Lochte, who recently moved from Florida to Charlotte, had been scheduled to compete for Team USA at Duel in the Pool, Dec. 20-21, in Scotland.

That appears unlikely now, though Lochte’s representative did not have a comment.

Rough Sunday for world’s other best male swimmer

Follow @nzaccardi