Ryan Lochte
USA, swimming
In winning his second consecutive award as world swimmer of the year, Lochte, 26, captured six gold medals at the Pan-Pacific Championships in Irvine. Lochte won both individual medleys, the 200-meter backstroke and freestyle races and took golds in both freestyle relays. At the World Short-Course Championships in Dubai later in the year, Lochte won six golds and a silver to confirm his outstanding season. Lochte also beat Michael Phelps in the 200 IM at the U.S. National Championships, marking the first time he defeated Phelps, head-to-head, at a major national or international meet. Lochte now has the world record, in both short and long-course competition, in the 200 IM, a race Phelps once owned.
