Ryan Lochte injured after run-in with fan
Jeaaah ... no.
There's never a dull moment with Ryan Lochte, right? So this shouldn't come as a surprise: the five-time Olympic gold medalist tore his MCL in a run-in with a fan.
Here's what happened, according to USA Today: in Florida Sunday, Lochte encountered an excited fan, who ran at him. When she did, Lochte caught the teenage girl, causing both to topple over. Lochte hit his left knee on a curb and, boom, torn MCL, sprained ACL.
No timetable was given on Lochte's return to competition, but it's unlikely the injury is career threatening.
"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," his publicist said via a statement. "His medical team expects him to make a full and speedy recovery and Ryan thanks everyone for their well wishes."
This reminds me of a similar encounter with Maurice Greene, once the fastest man in the world. It happened during the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif., prior to the 2004 Games. During an off-day for the Olympic champion sprinter, who was to face off against Michael Johnson in a much-anticipated 200-meter showdown the following day, Greene walked around the grounds at Sacramento State University, site of the Trials. A friend spotted him and wanted his autograph, so she walked up to him and waited while he signed for another fan. As he finished, Greene turned around, stepping on my friend's foot, and fell to the ground.
Thankfully Greene, who couldn't have been nicer about the mishap, was OK.
If only Lochte had been so lucky.
