Ryan Lochte breaks 200 IM world record, gives gold medal to boy in the stands

Ryan Lochte’s talk show tour has long ended and he’s back in the pool doing what he does best.  He competed in the World Shortcourse Swimming Championships last week in Istanbul, Turkey and won eight medals, including five golds (no big deal), and set world records in the 100M and 200M individual medleys.

But Lochte’s biggest win didn’t come in the pool, but rather what he did after he won the 200IM.  Lochte noticed fans hanging around during the medal ceremony waiting for his autograph.  Instead of giving one little guy an autograph, he gave him his gold medal.

Lochte was thrilled to make the little guy’s day.

“One of the main reasons for racing is because of my fans, so I always want to give something back,” he told BBC. “If I took the medal, it would end up in a sock drawer. If I give it to a fan, they’re going to treasure it.”

“I remember when as a kid I looked up to an Olympian superstar.  I won’t mention his name [but] I asked for an autograph and he said ‘no’. I told my parents that if I ever get in the same position, I’ll do it.”

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