Fans Stunned Ryan Lochte Is Auctioning Gold Medals Amid Financial Woes

Just hours after the former Olympian announced his plans to write a memoir about his deeply personal struggles, he revealed he would auction off some of his gold medals.

The news that Ryan Lochte is giving up his hard-earned Olympic medals comes at a difficult time, as the swimmer and his estranged wife, Kayla Lochte, are being sued in Florida over alleged unpaid fees related to their former $660,000 home.

On December 10, 2025, Lochte stood next to a Goldin Auction House employee in an Instagram video, revealing that three of the six gold medals he had earned in his career would be available for purchase later that night.

“Just sent to our December elite,” the caption of the post reads. “Three gold medals represent @RyanLochte’s rise through Olympic history. Each medal tells a story of dominance, teamwork and history.”

In the video, Ryan told viewers they could bid on the 2004, 2008 and 2016 Summer Olympics medals.

Ryan’s upcoming auction comes days after news emerged that the swimmer and his estranged wife, Kayla, are facing a lawsuit from the HOA in their former neighborhood in Florida.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Ryan and Kayla were accused of failing to pay certain fees associated with the approximately 3,000-square-foot residence.

“The owner has defaulted on all types of assessments, interest, late fees, administrative fees, attorney’s fees, and outstanding collections costs [the owner’s associate]”, according to the legal document.

Months before that, the couple came under fire again when reports emerged claiming they owed more than $270,000 to various lenders, including medical facilities and the Internal Revenue Service.

While winning the auction will certainly be a memory of a lifetime for the lucky bidder, many fans expressed their sadness over the situation in the comments on Goldin’s Instagram post.

“Sad that someone who had to work so hard to win one is now having to sell it,” one user wrote, while another wrote: “D-mn, more sad than cool.” Another user commented: “I don’t think this is as flexible as everyone thinks it is. Poor guy.”

The frustrating comments didn’t end there, with a third commenter writing about how “brutal” the situation was, while another encouraged Ryan to keep his medals and look for other ways to earn income. “A few thousand will not solve the problem no matter what,” they wrote.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Ryan announced his plans to write a new memoir just hours before it was revealed that his gold medals would be auctioned off.

After spending time “healing and growing,” Ryan said he gained “the long-lost confidence to give you a real look inside what it was like to be Ryan Lochte.”

“I went from a single guy who only cared about surfing and hanging out with friends — and who barely kissed a girl until I was in college — to becoming one of the most eligible bachelors in the world,” he continued.

However, things escalated when he found himself preparing to welcome “a son…with someone I barely knew, who constantly reminded me that he would forever be disappointed in the father I had become.”

While the upcoming post is still missing a title, the elite athlete said: “I can’t wait to share all of this with you soon.”