When Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it was a record people thought would last decades - or at least a generation.
Ryan Lochte has other thoughts.
The American just completed a Phelps-like programme at the short-course world championships and the results over eight events were pretty impressive.
Lochte won all five individual races he entered - just like Phelps in Beijing - and also pushed the United States ahead of Russia to win the 400 medley relay on the final night of competition on Sunday, ending with six golds and a silver overall.
The performance showed what Lochte might be capable of at the 2012 London Games.
“He’s certainly establishing himself as the best swimmer in the world, and he’s doing that in a way where I don’t think we’re seeing any end,” said US assistant coach David Marsh. “In many ways, I think we’re just seeing the beginning of what he can do.”
The world records Lochte set in the 200 and 400 individual medleys were the only individual world records set in swimming all year, since high-tech bodysuits were banned at the beginning of 2010.
The only events Lochte didn’t win here were two relays.
The United States took silver in the 800 freestyle and finished fourth in the 400 free. If Phelps and a couple other missing Americans had been here to help out, eight golds would certainly have been within reach for Lochte.
“We all think he can do eight events,” Marsh said. “The great thing about him is he’s very coachable. He proved at the last Olympic trials that he can handle short doubles and he has a good capacity for recovery.”
Lochte already beat Phelps in the 200 IM and 200 backstroke at the US championships this summer, then won six golds to Phelps’ five at the Pan Pacific Championships in August.
“Eight gold medals is pretty impossible to surpass, but Ryan is definitely holding his own and I think the rivalry between the two will only make both of them better,” said three-time Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin, who used to swim a gruelling multi-event programme. “Right now Ryan is swimming very, very well.”
The next major battle between Lochte and Phelps should come in July at the long-course worlds in Shanghai. Then it’s on to the US trials and London.
Lochte has not yet calculated how many events he plans to swim in London.
Lochte was clearly having fun on Sunday, when all of his skills were on display with three gold-medal performances over the space of two hours.
Lochte led off his busy final night by posting a championship-record 1:46.68 in the 200 back, a massive 2.41 ahead of American teammate Tyler Clary - who is emerging as a possible successor to Phelps and Lochte.
Fighting off fatigue, Lochte then won the 100 IM in 50.86, 0.05 off his semifinal time but still 0.83 ahead of runner-up Markus Deibler of Germany.
It was Lochte’s last race that was most impressive, however.
In the medley relay, Russia was out to a solid lead through two legs when Lochte dove in and powered past world champion and world record holder Evgeny Korotyshkin in the butterfly leg. Garrett Weber-Gale maintained the lead and Lochte celebrated the Americans’ first relay victory of the competition on the pool deck.
The fact that Lochte swam so well in the butterfly leg was especially significant - because that’s the leg that Phelps usually swims, and butterfly is far from Lochte’s best stroke.
Opponents have taken note.
“If he brings his A-game to the Olympics I don’t have a chance,” said Austrian rival Markus Rogan, who handed Lochte a couple losses at a recent short-course meet.
Rogan, Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh and Clary are shaping up as the top challengers to Lochte in the medley events, where Phelps’ status is in question.
While the medley relay and the 800 free still look solid, the Americans must be concerned about France in the 400 free.
Featuring multiple sprint specialists like Alain Bernard, Frederick Bousquet and Fabien Gilot, plus emerging standout Yannick Agnel, France edged out Russia for gold here, and Cesar Cielo’s Brazil took bronze to relegate the United States to fourth.
Phelps secured one of his most difficult golds in Beijing when Jason Lezak beat Bernard in the anchor leg of the 400 free relay, and the French have not forgotten.
“We have to make a plan for that,” Marsh said. “The guys we have on the relay are seasoned veterans, but we have a lot of guys in the US and there’s guys coming up, guys like Josh Schneider and guys like Nathan (Adrian) that are eager to get into that category.”
Lochte, however, appears the most eager of all.
After collecting his award as the Dubai meet’s top swimmer, Lochte literally ran out of the arena to catch a plane home so he can maintain his rigid training regimen..
“I’m going to get right back in the pool,” he said. “I’ll take two or three days off for Christmas, but other than that it’s right into training and then get ready for Shanghai.”