Ryan Lochte Undergoes Surgery After Tearing Meniscus On Water Slide With Kids

Ryan Lochte has revealed in a post on social media that he needed to undergo surgery after a waterslide accident caused him to tear his meniscus. Lochte is best known for being a 12-time Olympic medalist for competitive swimming. Along with others in the sport such as Dara Torres, Jenny Thompson and Natalie Coughlin, Lochte is the second most successful competitive swimmer in Olympic history, second only to Michael Phelps. Lochte has won seven individual Olympic medals for his swimming and is the second-most successful athlete in men’s swimming, again second only to Phelps.

Lochte revealed his surgery in an Instagram story. The photo shows the Olympic athlete wearing a hospital gown in a room while he gives the camera a thumbs up. Lochte provides little information on what exactly happened in his story, only stating that the “Surgery was a success!” However, Lochte’s wife Kayla Lochte revealed in a video that he tore his meniscus. “I don’t know if I told you guys how he tore his meniscus, so he’s getting that fixed this morning,” she wrote. Kayla jokingly stated in an Instagram post that this should be a lesson to everyone to not race down an inflatable water slide for kids.

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Lochte’s injury forced him to sit out on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. This was the first time since 2004 that the swimmer is unable to compete in the Summer Olympics. “I really wanted to be on that Olympic team,” Lochte said in an interview. “I think this is probably my most important swim meet I’ve ever had in my entire career, the one that meant the most to me. Falling short and feeling like I let everyone down was one of the hardest things. I can tell you I have no pressure on my back anymore. I was getting pressure from all different directions, mostly on me because I wanted to prove so much to everyone,” he added. “But this is not the last you’re going to see of me.”