U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte recently credited Michael Phelps with saving his career after he contemplated retirement following a serious knee injury.
Michael Phelps' comeback taking shape with two victories over rival Ryan Lochte
There could be, however, 10,000 other reasons why he's still competing.
Foxsports.com's Buzzer posted a photo Lochte put on his Twitter account of a meal he was about to eat to give him fuel for his training sessions.
The meal included about 12 chicken breasts, a tray of macaroni and cheese, about 40 spears of asparagus and another plastic container of food he did not identify. Just to add insult to indigestion, he posed shirtless with the huge amount of food.
The 11-time gold-medal winner posted the message, "#Streamlining in preparation for my 10,000 calories. Let's see your best pose. @swimtoday #funnestsport
Lochte suffered a freak accident last November when an overly excited fan saw him, ran to him and jumped into his arms, the momentum knocking the two to the ground, according to USA TODAY Sports.
Lochte hit his left knee on the curb and suffered a torn MCL and sprained ACL. He told Reuters.com that he contemplated retiring after that accident but then drew inspiration from Michael Phelps, who decided to end his retirement from swimming.
"I probably wouldn't have gone that time if Phelps wasn't in the pool with me," he said, as reported by Reuters. "I'm glad he's back. Me and him, we push each other all the time. What he's done for the sport of swimming and him leaving, it kind of broke my heart a little because I love getting the blocks and racing him.
"Racing against him is so much fun, it's a challenge but I love it and now that's he back, I've got a big old smile."
Which could be hard to see when he's eating lunch.
Phelps beat Lochte in three races two weeks ago at the Bulldog Grand Slam in Athens, Ga., but both seem happy with their comebacks so far.
Do you think Ryan Lochte can return to his Olympic form? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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