Ryan Lochte Finishes 7th in 200M IM Finals, Fails to Qualify for Tokyo Olympics

Ryan Lochte's quest to make the United States team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is over.

The 36-year-old finished seventh with a time of 1:59.67 in the men's 200-meter individual medley on Friday at the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska. A top-two finish was required for him to punch a ticket to Tokyo, and it quickly became apparent that wouldn't be on the cards.

Michael Andrew (1:55.44) and Chase Kalisz (1:56.97) led the way.

During his post-race interview, Lochte hinted at his continued involvement in competitive races, though this was probably his last crack at the Olympics given his age.

He qualified for Friday's final after finishing with the sixth-best time (1:58.65) during the semifinal heats.

That left him as a bit of an outsider to make the Team USA roster. The Washington Post's Dave Sheinin noted how he hadn't enjoyed a sub-1:57 200-meter individual medley since 2016. It turned out that's exactly what was required to guarantee a second-place outcome.

Competing in a fifth Summer Olympics would've been a monumental achievement, but Lochte's legacy is already cemented. He's a six-time Olympic gold medalist and has collected 12 medals in the pool.

Michael Phelps casts quite a shadow for his peers, but Lochte will unquestionably be remembered as one of the best American swimmers of his generation.