Who was named the male FINA Swimmer of the Year three times from 2010 to 2017? The answer is Ryan Lochte. He received the honor in 2010, 2011, and 2013.
The award recognized Lochte during one of the strongest periods of his career. He was an elite individual-medley, backstroke, and freestyle swimmer, capable of succeeding across multiple distances and in both long-course and short-course competition. His versatility made him a major rival to fellow American Michael Phelps.
Lochte's 2010 award followed a particularly important season in which he won multiple world titles and set world records. He repeated the honor in 2011 after a dominant World Championships, then won it again in 2013 after another exceptional season. Phelps won the award in other years within the period, including 2012 and 2016.
The wording can cause confusion because FINA also presented broader athlete-of-the-year honors and separate awards for women. The three-year count refers specifically to the male swimming award, not to Olympic medals or every international swimmer-of-the-year title.