The American swimming team’s performance in the recent Singapore world championships was marred by criticism from legends Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte on social media. The duo, who own a combined 40 Olympic medals, posted an Instagram story that read “IN LOVING MEMORY OF UNITED STATES SWIMMING, 1980-2025, AGED 45” with the message “We’ve got 3 years.” The post was seen as a criticism of USA Swimming’s leadership and an attempt to spark change within the organization.
Team USA responded to the criticism with strong performances in several events. Women’s quartet Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske won the women’s 4×100-meter medley relay in a world record time of 3 minutes 49.34 seconds, securing their ninth gold medal and 29th overall.
Swimmers Jack Alexy and Katie Ledecky echoed the comments made by Phelps and Lochte, saying that the criticism was a wake-up call for the team to strive for excellence. However, Greg Meehan, USA Swimming’s national team director, dismissed the criticism as an attempt to deflect attention from the organization’s issues.
The meet also highlighted the growing competitiveness of the international swimming community, with top swimmers Summer McIntosh and Léon Marchand from Canada and France dominating the events. Team USA failed to place a swimmer in the finals of any event for the first time at this year’s championships, with only Luca Urlando winning an individual gold.
Meehan acknowledged that the team has work to do between now and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, saying that they will take a “360-degree look” at all their events to improve. With the future of American swimming hanging in the balance, it remains to be seen whether Phelps and Lochte’s criticism will have a lasting impact on the team’s performance.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2025/08/03/usa-swimming-michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-instagram-post