During his Olympic swimming career, everything seemingly was golden for Ryan Lochte – that won’t be the case at his new job.
The six-time Olympic gold medal winner is set to join the coaching staff of the Missouri State Swimming and Diving program – and he’s certainly not doing it for the money.
According to Lochte’s contract, which was obtained and reported by Front Office Sports on Monday, the American swimming great will be earning a salary of an estimated US$30,000.
The outlet reports that Lochte’s estimated hourly rate would be $34.10 per hour, which is on par with current assistants Anna Miller and Lee Smothers.
Lochte, 41, also will be eligible for bonuses based on the team’s performance this coming season.
He could potentially earn an additional $750 for a Missouri Valley Conference men’s and women’s championship or co-championship, while there’s a $500 bonus for each NCAA Championship individual qualifier and $500 for each relay team that qualifies for the NCAA Championship.
What did Lochte say about the job?
Lochte spoke about his new job in a post on social media, saying that he’s looking forward to mentoring the young athletes both in and out of the pool.
“It’s about more than times and results,” Lochte said in a video posted on Instagram. “It’s about helping young men and women build discipline, resilience and confidence that will carry them far beyond the pool.
“I’ve lived the highs and the challenges of this sport, and I want to use that perspective to guide them, support them and help them reach their full potential in and out of the water.”
Ryan Lochte’s post-Olympic controversies
Over the past year, Lochte has been embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with former Playboy model wife Kayla Reid, with whom he shares three children
In a September 2025 court filing, Reid alleged that the former U.S. Olympic swimmer used drugs in front their young children and also drove them while intoxicated, according to a report from US Weekly.
Kayla Reid Lochte’s filing has since been temporarily sealed from the public, per Ryan’s request to the court.
Reid, 34, is fighting to gain full custody of the couple’s three children — son Caiden Zane, 8, and daughters Liv Rae, 6, and Georgia June, 2 — through the courts.
Lochte auctions off Olympic gold medals
The U.S. Olympic swimming legend also put three of his gold medals up for auction in December.
Lochte shared a video in collaboration with Goldin auction house announcing that the retired swimmer has consigned three of his six gold medals through the popular site.
“Three Gold Medals marking @ryanlochte’s rise through Olympic history. Each medal tells a story of dominance, teamwork, and history,” the caption said.
The three medals available on the site are from the 4×200-metre relay races in 2004, 2008 and 2016.
The starting price for each auction began at US$20,000, with the 2008 medal from the Beijing Games eventually fetching the highest price, selling for $183,000.
What did the school say about his hiring?
Lochte’s hiring as an assistant under the program’s head coach, Dave Collins, hasn’t officially been approved, but reportedly will be given the green light by the university’s board of governors in June.
Lochte’s exact role and duties with the team currently are unclear, but a school spokesperson told Front Office Sports that his schedule “will have to be ironed out when he arrives on campus and works with Coach Collins on the weekly team schedules.”
Collins called it “very” exciting to add Lochte to the team’s coaching staff.
This will be Lochte’s first professional coaching job.