Winner’s medal awarded to Ryan Lochte for placing second in the men’s 200-meter individual medley at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. Silver, 60 mm, 139 gm, by Elena Votsi and Kostas Kazakos; manufactured by Efsimon. The front depicts the winged goddess of Victory soaring into the Panathinaikos Arena, with Greek characters and Olympic rings above; the reverse features the Eternal Flame of Olympia, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the 2004 Summer Games logo, with the sport engraved in Greek lettering along the bottom, “Swimming, Men’s 200-meter Individual Medley.” The medal bears some light wear and scuffing. Completed by the original multicolored ribbon and wooden presentation box with metal slipcase. The 2004 Athens winner’s medals replaced the long-held ‘seated Victory’ design by Giuseppe Cassioli, rectifying the mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.
After Lochte won gold in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay with teammate Michael Phelps, the two squared off two days later in the 200-meter individual medley. While Phelps took the race with an Olympic record time of 1:57.14, Lochte surged in his wake, clinching the silver by narrowly outdistancing George Bovell and Laszlo Cseh with a time of 1:58.78. The medal was Lochte’s first as an individual performer at an Olympic Games. By the time he was done, Lochte had accrued seven individual medals, which ranks second in history in men's swimming and tied for second among all Olympic swimmers. His 12 total Olympic medals make him the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history.
The medal is accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from Lochte.
From the Ryan Lochte Collection.
