Ryan Lochte: Olympic swimmer and unintentional comedian

Claire Yan, special to WTOP.com

WASHINGTON – All eyes are on U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, and it’s not just for his nine Olympic medals and four world records, or his stunningly good looks.

Though Lochte has emerged victorious in multiple events in the London 2012 games, his comedic stunts are what has garnered the most public attention. After dominating the competition in Saturday’s 400-meter individual medley, Lochte proudly accepted his medal and flashed a smile to showcase a custom-made, stars- and-stripes dental grill designed by rapper Paul Wall and Houston jeweler Johnny Dang.

Lochte has worn grills before at previous meets because he says “it’s just a unique way of showing personality out to everyone,” but was specifically told that if he wore the grill on the Olympic podium, he would not receive his gold medal. However, photographers were able to capture Lochte’s row of gleaming diamonds and rubies when Lochte put on the mouthpiece afterwards, and pictures of the infamous grill have been all over the Internet ever since.

Lochte can apparently rock a mean grill but interviews are certainly not his forte. A hilarious compilation video showcasing Lochte’s poor interview skills was released yesterday by YouTube user DorseyShaw and already has about 157,000 views. Some of his responses to the simplest of questions will leave viewers laughing or dumbfounded.

Check out his answer to “What defines Ryan Lochte?” at 0:13 and his failed attempt at easy multiplication at 0:35.

Lochte is also blowing up the internet with his personal Twitter account and a series of confusing and strange Tweets, replete with typos and grammatical errors. With gems such as “everyone is selling dreams until u can buy one” and “all my problems would be second and all my worries would be gone,” Lochte’s Twitter account is simultaneously hilarious and confusing.

Lastly, as if that’s not enough, Lochte’s mother recently announced that Ryan is too busy for a girlfriend and opts for one night trysts instead. MSNBC.com reports, Ike Lochte told TODAY.com that her son “goes out on one-night stands” because “he’s not able to give fully to a relationship because he’s always on the go.”

So no, Ryan Lochte, your mere name (refer to video) is not enough to define you.

These past few weeks have confirmed that you are also a grill enthusiast, accidental internet sensation and playboy. Oh, and of course, an Olympic champion.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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