Ryan Lochte and 3 other Olympic swimmers reportedly robbed at gunpoint in Rio

By Sam Barsanti  |  August 14, 2016 | 8:53pm
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Though this summer’s Olympics have been mostly filled with feel-good stories about Leslie Jones’ enthusiasm, Matthew McConaughey’s divine amusement, and the return of Darth Vader, a few downers—like the undignified treatment of horses and NBC’s ratings woes—have floated to the surface like so much disgusting, green pool water. Speaking of, Ryan Lochte and three other swimmers from the U.S. Olympic team recently faced something even worse than green water when they were reportedly robbed at gunpoint while on their way to the Olympic Village.

As reported by CNN, Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen were in a taxi when a group of people posing as “armed police officers” forced them out of the car and demanded they hand over their “money and other personal belongings.” Speaking with NBC, Lochte explained that they were all told to get on the ground, but he refused because they “didn’t do anything wrong.” That’s when one of the robbers put his gun to Lochte’s head:

He cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, “Get down,” and I put my hands up, I was like “whatever.” He took our money, he took my wallet—he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.

The four athletes involved are reportedly all safe, with Bentz even tweeting about the incident this morning:

Interestingly, the International Olympic Committee initially refused to acknowledge that the robbery had happened, even releasing a statement that claimed Lochte himself had denied that the story was true. That’s evidently false, though, and Lochte’s interview will be airing on The Today Show tomorrow.

 
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