Ryan Lochte Olympics 2012: Star Must Avoid Further Failure to Numb U.S. Pain

Team USA swimming continues to sink.

A combination of Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps was supposed to dominate the 2012 Olympics. Through two days, they’ve been a mammoth disappointment. Any more letdowns by Lochte in particular, and the U.S. will leave London full of regret.

The Americans’ first crushing defeat came on Saturday, when Phelps failed to medal in the 400-meter individual medley. He won gold by setting world records in the previous two Olympics, but a fourth-place finish kept him from even approaching the podium this year.

While the fact that Lochte won gold made Phelps’ collapse easier to stomach, nothing could numb the pain of Team USA’s defeat on Sunday.

Lochte and Phelps teamed up in the 4x100-meter relay in what was sure to be a swimming clinic. There was no possible way that a squad with the two best swimmers in the world could fail. Yet somehow, someway, they found a way.

France shocked Team USA by stealing the gold medal in the competition. Lochte had held a lead on the final leg of the event, but he choked it away. He’ll have a chance to redeem himself, but he'd better take advantage of it.

On Monday, Lochte will participate in the 200-meter freestyle final. In it, more frustration could be on the horizon, because in the semifinals, he failed to stand out. Lochte finished fifth and 0.7 seconds behind China’s Sun Yang.

Now, most countries would be thrilled with the four medals in a single sport that the U.S. currently has. But the U.S. isn’t most countries. Phelps set the bar as high as it could possibly be in Beijing, single-handedly winning a whopping eight gold medals, and anything less than that level of supremacy is a disappointment.

If Lochte fails in the second straight final, it could be the beginning of a nightmare in the pool.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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