Ryan Lochte thanks fans for support after being robbed at gunpoint in Rio

“The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead. He said: ‘Get down’. I put my hands up like ‘whatever’, Lochte explains

Ryan Lochte (Getty)

Olympic gold medallist Ryan Lochte has thanked fans for their support and reassured them of his safety after being robbed at gunpoint in Rio.

On Sunday morning, Lochte and his American teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint in the Brazilian city on their way back from a party with members of the french Olympic team.

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Following conflicting reports, Lochte recounted the events explaining their taxi was pulled over by men posing as police who ordered the swimmers to get down on the ground. Lochte says he refused at first but later complied after the gunman put the gun to his forehead.

“The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead. He said: ‘Get down’. I put my hands up like ‘whatever’,” the swimmer told NBC news.

Lochte said the gunmen made off with his wallet and money but left his phone and credentials.

The athlete has since shared a note on Twitter thanking fans for their support and reassuring them of his safety.

“While it is true that my teammates and I were victims of a robbery early Sunday morning, what is most important is that we are safe and unharmed,” he wrote. “I am honoured to have represented the US here at the Rio Olympics and to win Gold for my country alongside my teammates.”

Lochte’s mother had previously said her son and his teammates were “shaken up” by the incident.

At the games, Lochte, Bentz and Conger won gold in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay alongside Michael Phelps who has now racked his Olympic gold medal count up to 23, the most ever to be won by an athlete at the games.