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Ryan Lochte is one of the greatest swimmers to ever put on goggles at the Olympics. He won 12 medals across four different Olympic games, which is tied for the second-most in swimming history, only behind Michael Phelps’ 28.

However, Lochte is now parting ways with half of them.

Yes, really. He’s giving away six Olympic medals.

But Lochte isn’t doing this because he doesn’t care about them or his accomplishments; the 37-year-old is auctioning off the awards for a good cause.

Ryan Lochte is auctioning off six Olympic medals

Olympic swimming legend Ryan Lochte in 2012.
Swimmer Ryan Lochte of the United States celebrates with his Gold Medal for the Men’s 400m Individual Medley at the London 2012 Olympic Games on July 28, 2012. | Al Bello/Getty Images

Ryan Lochte was one of the top swimmers in the world for over a decade. Here’s a list of all the Olympic medals he has won throughout his career.

OlympicsMedalEvent
Athens 2004Gold4x200m Freestyle Relay
Athens 2004Silver200m Individual Medley
Beijing 2008Gold200m Backstroke
Beijing 2008Gold4x200m Freestyle Relay
Beijing 2008Bronze200m Individual Medley
Beijing 2008Bronze400m Individual Medley
London 2012Gold400m Individual medley
London 2012Gold4x200m Freestyle Relay
London 2012Silver4x100m Freestyle Relay
London 2012Silver200m Individual Medley
London 2012Bronze200m Backstroke
Rio 2016Gold4x200m Freestyle Relay

Lochte — who has not called it quits just yet despite not swimming at the Tokyo Olympics — is now giving away six of those medals. He’s putting them up for auction and giving the proceeds to charity.

“I don’t want people to think I didn’t care about the medals,” Lochte said to NBC Sports. “I cherish them, but they’re just sitting in my closet collecting dust.”

The medals up for bidding are three silvers from the 2004 and 2012 Olympics and three bronze medals from the 2008 and 2012 games. He will then give the money to the Jorge Nation Foundation, which sends children with severe or terminal illnesses on trips to destinations of their choice.

“I feel amazing about [the auction] just because I’m going to be helping kids out,” Lochte added.

Winning an Olympic medal is a rare opportunity for athletes. Now, Ryan Lochte is using those awards to give kids memories they will never forget.

Stats courtesy of Olympics.com

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