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≡ LOCHTE SALES BRING $466,720 ≡
In his second major sale of personal memorabilia, U.S. Olympic swim star Ryan Lochte saw three of his gold medals sell at auction on Saturday evening, along with three signed flags signed by the American swim teams.
Part of the Goldin Auctions’ December Elite Sports Auction program, Lochte’s items included:
● Athens 2004 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $80,250 with the buyer’s premium, after 15 bids.
● Athens 2004 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $19,250 with the buyer’s premium, after 15 bids.
● Beijing 2008 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $183,000 with the buyer’s premium, after 27 bids.
● Beijing 2008 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $34,160 with the buyer’s premium.
● Rio 2016 Olympic men’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay gold: sold for $122,000 with the buyer’s premium, after 23 bids.
● Rio 2016 USA Olympic flag, signed by the U.S. swim team: sold for $28,060 with the buyer’s premium.
The total: $466,720, with the buyer’s premiums included. The Beijing 2008 relay gold was part of the record-setting eight-gold-medal haul for teammate Michael Phelps; in fact, Phelps and Lochte both swam in all of three of the gold-medal races for which medals were auctioned.
Lochte said in December that he was selling the medals to meet financial obligations related to their homeowners community in Florida, to which he and his estranged wife owed dues and fees, on top of prior debts for taxes and other items.
This was the second auction for Lochte, who had previously worked with RR Auction on a 2022 sale that brought $166,779:
● $89,423 for his pair of Beijing 2008 bronze medals
● $56,348 for his three London 2012 silver and bronze medals
● $21,008 for his Athens 2004 silver medal
● $16,143 for his Breitling watch purchased after the 2012 Games
Lochte said he would donate the proceeds to the Jorge Nation Foundation, which arranges special trips for terminally-ill children.
Lochte is now 41 and still has his Olympic golds for the Beijing 2008 200 m Backstroke, the London 2012 400 m Medley and London 2012 4×200 m Freestyle relay. He also has a stunning collection of World Championships medals, with 18 golds, five silvers and four bronzes, plus short-course Worlds awards including 21 golds, 10 silvers and seven bronzes!
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