"Nearly took everything from me" - Ryan Lochte reflects on battling depression a year after the devastating car accident 

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Nov 22, 2024 01:47 GMT

Ryan Lochte recently shared a powerful message on social media reflecting on navigating depression after a fatal car crash. On November 21, 2023, Lochte encountered a tragic accident that left him with multiple injuries.

Lochte was driving to pick up his kids from school in Gainesville, Florida when a vehicle in front of him unexpectedly pulled out of the lane to avoid hitting an at-rest trash truck. When the American swimmer veered his car away to prevent the crash, he unexpectedly hit the trash truck.

The Olympian suffered a broken femur and visible abrasions on his forehead. A year following the accident, he reflected on the accident that left him struggling with depression and self-doubt.

"One year ago, my life changed forever. A car accident nearly took everything from me—and for a long time, it felt like it had. I struggled to find myself again, sinking back into depression and doubting my worth as a father, a husband, and the person I knew I could be. But I didn’t face this journey alone."

He also expressed his gratitude towards his family who gave him the strength to heal and rise above the challenges.

"Thanks to the love and support of the incredible people in my life, I began to rise from that darkness. They reminded me of my strength when I couldn’t see it myself. Today, I’m proud to say I’m not just surviving—I’m fighting. Fighting for my family, for my dreams, and for the life I know I’m meant to live. This year has taught me that setbacks don’t define us—our comebacks do."

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"We were light years ahead of everyone" - Ryan Lochte opens up on the dominance by him and legendary swimmer Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte during the London 2012 Olympic games in London, UK. (Photo via Getty Images)

Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps collectively secured multiple Olympic medals for the USA. They bagged gold medals in the 4x200m freestyle event four consecutive times at the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio Olympics.

The pair was also part of a silver-medal-winning team in the 4x100m freestyle event at the 2012 London Games. In a podcast on Shut up! Tell me more, Lochte highlighted the dominance left by him and Phelps.

"Yeah, I mean while we had one of the biggest rivalry in sports, definitely in swimming, and we were light years ahead of everyone. Like in all our races that we raced against [each other], like it was us two, and five seconds later, it was everyone else." [9:26 onwards]

Ryan Lochte has collected a total of 12 Olympic medals throughout his career.