Former Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte spent time in a smaller, albeit much more significant, pool of water as he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in front of a supportive congregation and his entire family. The 12-time medalist sat in a giant tub and was fully submerged by the pastor before rising again as a new man.
Lochte celebrated the biggest decision of his life in a moving post to Instagram, where he shared he wanted to “rededicate” his life to Jesus. One comment under his lengthy social media post observed that this decision was ‘the biggest win you’ll ever have in the water.’
“I love sharing my life with my fans/followers,” Lochte wrote in a post captioning the short video of his baptism and several photos capturing the momentous day. “In this season of growing, I have learned that the only thing that truly matters is what God thinks of me. I made the decision to rededicate my life to Jesus and today I was baptized!”
“My heart is full of so much love and happiness and I’m just so thankful for everything God is doing and going to do in my life. Thank you for all those who have loved and supported me throughout my life, you mean so much to me!” the elite swimmer concluded. Watch Lochte take the plunge below:
A small X account called Sport and Faith also shared some images from Lochte’s baptism and the post was well-received by users on the site. “Welcome to the family of God! It’s the most important decision anyone could make Ryan. After going through treatment myself, I had a complete paradigm shift in my thinking. I was created by Him for Him. I’ll be praying for you down in Florida.”
The reference to treatment alludes to Lochte revealing in late August of 2025 that he had completed a rehab program for substance abuse. At the time of post, he had been sober for nearly two months over the summer period. He connected his abuse of substances to a 2023 car crash that resulted in his truck colliding with a garbage truck on the way to picking up his kids. Serious injuries resulted and he spiraled from the physical and emotional weight of injury and recovery.
“After my accident in 2023, I fell into a really dark place,” Lochte said at the time, noting that he was suffering from “depression, loneliness and feeling like I was giving up in life.” Recognizing that he needed to make a “drastic change,” he took it upon himself to seek help. “So I checked myself into a recovery center…Substance abuse isn’t a solution, it’s a distraction that makes things worse.”
“God Bless you Ryan! A great prayer for every day..’Lord, I give you permission today to use me in any way that you desire…give me the Grace to see you in action, so that I can give you all the glory,’” wrote another user on X under the aforementioned post.