Ryan Lochte, the most decorated active Olympian with 12 medals, returns from a 14-month ban to compete at the U.S. Championships next week.
NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will combine to air nightly finals coverage from July 31-Aug. 4 in Palo Alto, Calif.
Many swimmers competing at this week’s world championships are expected at nationals, including Lochte’s fellow Florida Gator, Caeleb Dressel.
The 34-year-old Lochte served two bans this Olympic cycle. The first was for 10 months in 2016 and 2017 following his Rio Games gas-station incident.
The second was for receiving an IV infusion of a legal substance that, after a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigation with Lochte’s cooperation, was deemed above the legal limit of 100 milliliters on May 24, 2017. Lochte was caught because he published a photo of the infusion on social media.
Lochte’s ban ended this week.
Lochte is entered in six events at nationals, including his trademark 200m and 400m individual medleys.
During Lochte’s most recent ban, he received treatment for alcohol addiction and appeared on “Celebrity Big Brother,” finishing in 10th place.
Lochte will turn 36 years old during the Tokyo Olympics, when he will be older than all but two previous U.S. Olympic swimmers in individual events (Edgar Adams, 1904, and Dara Torres, 2008).
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