Ryan Lochte suffered a torn MCL and a sprained ACL after a fan ran into him, but he may recover without surgery.
“It’s too soon to know how long he’ll be out,” his sister, Kristin Lochte-Keeler, told Lochte’s hometown newspaper, the Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal. “He’s going for a second opinion. At this point, they’re saying he does not need knee surgery.”
Lochte suffered left knee injuries Sunday when a teenage girl ran at him, he caught her and they both toppled over, as first reported by USA Today and confirmed by a Lochte representative. Lochte’s knee hit a curb in Gainesville, Fla.
“As a result of a freak injury caused by an unexpected fan encounter Ryan has suffered a torn MCL and an ACL sprain and will be taking a break from training and competition,” read a statement from a Lochte representative. “His medical team expects him to make a full and speedy recovery and Ryan thanks everyone for their well wishes.”
Lochte’s sister told the Daytona Beach News-Journal the knee was compromised before the incident.
“A fan jumped on him, and he already has a bad knee and that knee buckled,” she said.
Lochte has a long list of bizarre injuries.
He tore his left meniscus break dancing, fractured a shoulder falling out of a tree, fractured a foot in a scooter accident, sprained his ankle chasing his Doberman, Carter, strained an MCL reaching for a cellphone in his car and has hurt himself skateboarding, according to various reports over the years.
Lochte, who recently moved from Florida to Charlotte, had been scheduled to compete at Duel in the Pool, Dec. 20-21, in Scotland. There’s no word yet on if he has pulled out of that meet.
