Stroke and Mirrors
No one ever remembers who comes in fifth place. Unless that person fabricates parts of a story about being robbed at gunpoint. The more we learn about the night Ryan Lochte and his fellow swimmers were supposedly held up in Rio, the more it looks like their version of events doesn’t hold water. As you’d imagine, the Internet is going Brazil nuts. Bottom line: When you spend your life wearing a Speedo, you can’t hide much.
+ He Said, She Said: According to the AP, “Lochte first lied about the robbery to his mother, Ileana Lochte, who spoke with reporters.” (I don’t get young people today. When I was a kid, I wouldn’t have even told my mom I was competing in the Olympics.)
+ The NYT with this quote from the vice president for policy at Americas Society and Council of the Americas: “[The incident] has tapped into one of Brazilians’ biggest pet peeves — gringos who treat their country like a third-rate spring break destination where you can lie to the cops and get away with it.” (Full disclosure: That’s how we treat most American cities too…)
+ Maybe now we can drop that baseless stereotype that Rio is a place where one might get robbed.