Olympic swimming champ robbed at gunpoint

  • 15/08/2016
Ryan Lochte (Getty)
Ryan Lochte (Getty)

US Olympic gold medal swimmer Ryan Lochte has been robbed in a taxi after leaving a party in Rio de Janeiro.

A spokesman for Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira said the swimmers had been together at the party prior to the robbery.

"Thiago and his wife went yesterday night to a birthday party for a common friend with Lochte in the France House," the spokesman said.

"He parted ways with Lochte when he returned to his hotel with his wife.

"Today in the morning he received the news about Lochte's incident, so he called him and Lochte told him he was fine and said the taxi he was in got robbed."

The International Olympic Committee confirmed the incident after the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) initially told the Olympic ruling body the story was false.

The USOC has now confirmed the robbers were "posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes' money and other personal belongings".

Lochte's mother said the swimmer was unharmed but was shaken by the incident.

"I think they're all shaken up. There were a few of them," Ileana Lochte told USA Today.

"No, they were just, they just took their wallets and basically that was it."

It was not immediately clear if a firearm had been used in the robbery.

Lochte won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Reuters / Newshub.