Ryan Lochte may be one of the hottest celebrity athletes at the London 2012 Summer Olympics—well, aside from fellow swimming stud, Michael Phelps. But the star status of this water boy apparently hasn't afforded him any special privileges on the medal podium at the Games of the XXX Olympiad. He picked up his first gold of this Olympics on Saturday, July 28, but he also simultaneously got banned from showing off some metal of another kind: his signature grill!
A rapper he is not, but that hasn't stopped Lochte from favoring the flashy and audacious mouth accessory at most of his major award ceremonies for the past several years. And he had big plans to do so again yesterday, as he edged out (a grill-less) Phelps from even getting a medal in the 400m individual medley race. The nonconformist swimmer with the big, bold and cheeky attitude even apparently had a new diamond-encrusted, American flag-inspired tooth decoration created especially for his time in London. "It's basically a retainer filled with diamonds," he once explained, as Daily Mail confirms. "It's just a unique way of showing my personality to everyone."
However, the guys in suits apparently weren't buying what the Speedo-clad Ryan Lochte was selling. ESPN reporter Wayne Drehs confirmed, "Lochte told me he tried to wear his grill on the podium only to have an Olympics official tell him if he did so he wouldn't get his gold." Party pooper!
But, for Lochte, the gold naturally won out over his shiny mouth piece. However, as Daily Mail points out, he actually had the last laugh—make that the last grin—as he hid his grill in his pocket until after the national anthem, then promptly put it right back where it belongs to pose for the crush of photographers. It's a good thing he did, too, as the resulting pics are priceless—or worth their weight in gold!
What a rebel! The talented swimmer certainly has the star factor, though, from his glittering teeth to his toes.
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