Lochte shot to stardom last summer when he set the first world record without the aid of a high-tech swimsuit at the World Championships in Shanghai. In the 200m medley final he clocked 1:54.00 to beat legendary Michael Phelps (1:54.16). At the same championships, Lochte won four more gold medals and one bronze that made him the top swimmer of the event.
Lochte admitted that he looks forward to returning to Barcelona in 2013. This weekend he visited the Catalan capital for the first time and now hopes to compete at the 2013 World Championships in different disciplines, which he obviously has not determined yet.
More big swimming champions will visit Barcelona in the following days for different reasons, such as British backstroke swimmer Liam Tancock, Australian Eamon Sullivan and German middle-distance swimmer Paul Biedermann.
Lochte (USA) at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai - credit: Andrea Staccioli