Medal count: Which American Olympians have the most medals all time?

3. Ryan Lochte

Medal count: 12 (6 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)

Sport: Swimming

Games attended: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016

Goofy and sometimes irresponsible Floridian swimmer Ryan Lochte amassed 12 Olympic medals in his four trips to the Games. Seven of those were in individual events, where Lochte specialized in backstroke and individual medley. Also a gifted freestyler, Lochte was a part of five medal-winning American relay teams.

Given his career and event overlap with Michael Phelps, who knows how many more Olympic medals Lochte might have won had he not been competing next to the greatest swimmer of all time.

Lochte hoped for one more Olympic victory lap in Tokyo 2021, but failed to qualify at the US Olympic Swimming Trials, finishing seventh in the 200 m individual medley – an event he still holds the world record in.