Ryan Lochte qualifies at US nationals; Dana Vollmer retires

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Lochte has qualified for the C final in the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. national championships.

The 12-time Olympic medalist grabbed the seventh of eight spots during Friday’s preliminaries in 53.25 seconds.

Maxime Rooney had the top qualifying time of 50.68 for the A final in the evening.

Jack Conger was second-quickest for the A final. He and Lochte along with two other U.S. swimmers were involved in an incident at a gas station during the 2016 Rio Olympics that involved a false police report. Conger was suspended for four months, while Lochte received the most severe penalty with a 10-month ban.

Lochte failed to qualify for the 200 freestyle final Thursday, finishing 37th overall in prelims. He’s competing this week for the first time since the recent end of a 14-month suspension for receiving an infusion of vitamin B-12 above the allowable limit.

Dana Vollmer, a seven-time Olympic medalist, swam the final race of her career in the 100 fly prelims. She finished 32nd overall in 59.94 and failed to advance to the final.

The 31-year-old mother of two had announced that the race would be her last. She remains the American record holder in her signature event.

Vollmer was 16 when she competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics. She missed the 2008 Olympic team, but returned in 2012 to win gold in the 100 fly and set a world record in London. She was the first woman to break 56 seconds in the event. In Rio, she earned bronze in the 100 fly.

After having her second child in July 2017, Vollmer returned to competition in November 2018, but wasn’t swimming fast enough to make the 2020 Olympics. She injured her shoulder in May and hadn’t competed again until Friday.