The Loveable Lochte

Determined, free-spirited, a fierce competitor, and a talented athlete?...or is it gorgeous, absolutely adorable, a beautiful champion, and a talented Olympian armed with a killer smile?...

...or... even better... how about maybe a gorgeous competitor, fiercely talented in his determination to be a champion, armed with a killer smile and... um... ok enough with the adjectives, I think you get the point ...

Under normal circumstances, an athlete who's been breaking world records all his life, and who's success at the Olympics landed him with three gold medals (and several more broken records), would more likely than not upon his returning home be hailed a hero (perhaps even become a household name and make an appearance on cereal boxes?)... But alas, unfortunately as many of you may well be aware, there's a very long (and insanely fast) shadow that lurks over this beautiful champion's head...

Nevertheless, 24 year-old Olympic champion/model/aspirational clothing designer Ryan Lochte is my favorite swimmer... in the world. And no, it's not just the fact that he is arguably the most gorgeous aquatic star on the face of the planet (although that doesn't hurt )...

But there is indeed a passion behind this guy. Especially so once he gets in the pool... What puts him over the top for me though is that once he gets out of the pool, his free-spirited nature and loveable personality comes through... and then there's that smile ...

There's a saying by some of Ryan's fans that goes 'those who know Ryan, love Ryan'... honestly I can see where they're coming from... I swear this guy could light up a room with just a slight grin ...

And if not his grin, then his amazing abs during his on-season works just as well I guess ... Apparently both he and his champion teammate/good friend Michael Phelps make for quite the dynamic duo don't they?... (I think so )...

Anyhow, the summer Olympics won't be back for another 3 years... so for the time being, Ryan has been keeping himself busy winning more competitions, christening his own street and being hailed a model citizen back in his home town down in Florida, and most interestingly signing a modeling contract with Ford Models. Let's cross our fingers and hope Ryan goes for the underwear modeling he was aiming for a couple months back .

Oh, and while we're still on the subject of modeling... wow is he off to a good start. I guess if he can't outshine Michael in the pool, he can certainly gain somewhat of an edge with a flashing camera bulb... (to say the least )...