Gunnar Bentz

Joseph "Gunnar" Bentz (born January 3, 1996) is an American former competitive swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.

Gunnar Bentz
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Bentz
Nickname(s)Gunnar
National team United States
Born (1996-01-03) January 3, 1996
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight183 lb (83 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesIndividual medley, freestyle, butterfly
Club
  • Dynamo Swim Club
  • Longhorn Aquatics
College teamUniversity of Georgia
CoachJack Bauerle
Eddie Reese
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  United States
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 0
Pan American Games 0 1 1
World Junior Championships 2 0 2
Total 3 1 3
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de Janeiro4×200 m freestyle
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place2015 Toronto4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2015 Toronto200 m medley
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 Dubai200 m medley
Gold medal – first place2013 Dubai400 m medley
Bronze medal – third place2013 Dubai4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2013 Dubai4×100 m mixed medley
Junior Pan Pacific Championships
Silver medal – second place2012 Honolulu4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place2012 Honolulu400 m medley
Representing the Georgia Bulldogs
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
NCAA Championships 0 0 2
Total 0 0 2
By race
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
200 y butterfly 0 0 1
400 y medley 0 0 1
Total 0 0 2
NCAA Championships
Bronze medal – third place2015 Iowa City 400 y medley
Bronze medal – third place2017 Indianapolis 200 y butterfly

Early life

Bentz graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School in 2014.[1]

Career

He is a four-time medalist (two gold, two bronze) at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships and a two-time medalist (one silver, one bronze) at the Pan American Games.[2] Bentz competes for the University of Georgia with the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team in American collegiate swimming. Bentz was the 2015 USA National Champion in the 400m Individual Medley. In June 2016, he qualified for the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3] Bentz swam in the preliminaries of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Replaced by the team of Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer, and Townley Haas, Bentz was not in the final but received a medal.[4]

In 2018 Gunnar Bentz was qualified for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.[5]

Gas station incident during 2016 Olympics
Main article: Lochtegate

On the morning of August 14, Bentz's teammate Ryan Lochte claimed that he, Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen were robbed after four men forced them out of their taxi at gunpoint.[6] Bentz, 20 at the time of this incident, was required to be back in the Olympic Village by 1:00 am as the 1:00 am curfew was relaxed just for team members 21 or older by Frank Busch, U.S.A. Swimming's national team director.[7] The Brazilian authorities questioned this account, and after Lochte had flown home on August 16, Bentz and Conger were prevented from leaving the country and their passports were seized; this was done in order to have them testify as witnesses of the incident.[8][9] Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro concluded that the athletes were not robbed, but instead had been involved in an incident at a gas station in Barra da Tijuca, west of the city.[10] This investigation found that the swimmers stopped at a gas station near Casa França, where they were involved in a confrontation with security guards regarding vandalism some or all of the swimmers had caused in a bathroom while intoxicated.[11] They also claimed that the swimmers had already paid in cash 100 reais ($31) and $20 in U.S. currency as compensation for objects from the bathroom which were damaged, such as a soap holder, a mirror, and a "Please Do Not Enter" sign.[12]

According to anonymous police sources, Bentz and Conger told the police that Lochte's robbery story was fabricated.[13] The Associated Press reported that Bentz and Conger "refuted Lochte's claim that the group was held up by armed assailants".[14]

After Bentz returned to the United States, he released a statement about the incident. He admitted to urinating behind the gas station, and wrote that Lochte pulled down a framed metal advertisement, but denied witnessing any damage caused to the bathroom.[15]

International Swimming League

In 2019 Bentz was member of the 2019 International Swimming League, representing Team Iron.

2020 Olympic Trials

In 2021, Bentz qualified for the 2020 Olympic Team, placing 2nd in the 200m butterfly at the finals of the US Olympic Team Trials.[16]

Career best times

Long course (50-meter pool)
Event Time Venue Date
200 m freestyle 1:47.33 Omaha June 28, 2016
200 m Butterfly 1:55.34 Omaha June 16, 2021
200 m IM 1:58.31 Indianapolis July 1, 2017
400 m IM 4:11.66 Indianapolis June 29, 2017

References
  1. "St. Pius X alum on 2016 U.S. Olympic swim team". July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. Michael Pavitt (December 19, 2018). "Adrian among USA Swimming squad for Lima 2019 Pan American Games". Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. John Durham; Tori McElhaney; Zach Shugan (August 9, 2016). "Gunnar Bentz wins a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay". The Red & Black. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. David Rieder (June 4, 2014). "Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz Move Past Infamous Olympic Incident". Swimming World. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  5. Andy Ross (December 18, 2018). "USA Swimming Sets Pan American Games Roster: Margo Geer, Nathan Adrian Highlight". Swimming World.
  6. Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Mather, Victor (August 14, 2016). "Ryan Lochte and Three Teammates Robbed at Gunpoint". The New York Times. p. D7. ISSN 0362-4331.
  7. Crouse, Karen (August 19, 2016). "Gleam Tarnished, Far From the Pool, for U.S. Swimmers". The New York Times. p. D9.
  8. "U.S. swimmers Bentz, Conger leave Rio after robbery scandal; Feigen pays fine". NBC Olympics. August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  9. "Two US swimmers in Rio removed from flight home". CNN. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  10. Romero, Sam (August 18, 2016). "The Police Say Ryan Lochte Lied About Gunpoint Assault". The New York Times. p. A1.
  11. Moreira, Gabriela (August 18, 2016). "Polícia conclui que nadadores norte-americanos mentiram sobre assalto" [Police conclude that American swimmers lied about robbery] (in Portuguese). ESPN. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  12. Rodrigo Viga; Jeb Blout (August 19, 2016). "U.S. says sorry as swimmers leave Brazil to jeers". Reuters. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  13. Dave Sheinin; Dom Phillips; Joshua Partlow (August 18, 2016). "As Ryan Lochte's story unravels, three teammates remain detained for questioning". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  14. "'Ryan was very evasive': How Lochte's robbery story started to unravel". National Post/The Washington Post. August 18, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  15. Reilly, Katie (August 20, 2016). "Swimmer Gunnar Bentz Tells His Story of Rio Gas Station Incident in Statement". Time. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  16. "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 200m Butterfly Final Results" (PDF). Omega Timing. June 16, 2021.
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