Ryan Lochte: Swimming Star Will Redeem Himself by Winning Gold on Monday

What a difference a day can make.

On Saturday, Ryan Lochte was the hero of American swimming, absolutely crushing the field (including Michael Phelps) in the 400-meter individual medley. On Sunday, he was the goat of American swimming, blowing Team USA's lead on the final leg of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

Now, on the third day of competition, look for Lochte to redeem himself and return to the top of the podium.

Lochte will be competing in the 200-meter freestyle this afternoon, and if his performance in the 2011 World Championships is any indication, he should have the gold medal draped over his neck by 3 p.m. ET.

Lochte is the defending world champion in the event, posting a ridiculous time of one minute, 44.44 seconds last year in Shanghai. That score was good enough to beat the likes of Phelps, world-record holder Paul Biedermann, Japanese sensation Park Tae-Hwan and France's Yannick Agnel, the man who chased down Lochte in Sunday's relay.

He won't have to worry about Phelps this afternoon, but Biedermann, Tae-Hwan and Agnel will all be in the field. Lochte will also have a new foe to fend off, as China's Sun Yang—the gold medalist in this year's 400-meter freestyle—will be competing after he skipped the event in 2011.

Despite the stiff competition, I'm expecting Lochte to walk away with the gold. He has proven in the past that he can win this event, and with his insane competitive drive, he'll come out with a vengeance following Sunday's disappointment.

Lochte finished fifth in qualifying, but after staying out late to celebrate his 400-meter IM victory, he certainly wasn't at his best in the prelims.

Now that he will be focused and refreshed, the rest of the field is in trouble. Look for Lochte to explode out of the gate, hold the lead throughout and leave the stadium with his second gold medal of the 2012 London Olympics.