Ryan Lochte
U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte suffered a freak knee injury while greeting an excited female fan. Wikipedia Commons

U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte won’t be diving back into the pool anytime soon.

The 29-year-old five-time Olympic gold medalist suffered a torn MCL and sprained ACL in his left knee on Sunday when he greeted an overly excited female fan in Florida who tackled him to the ground, USA Today reports. Although Lochte will require surgery to repair the damage, he's expected to make a full recovery, his publicist said. The unidentified female fan didn't suffer any injuries, according to TMZ.

“As a result of a freak injury caused by an unexpected fan encounter, Ryan has suffered a torn MCL and an ACL sprain and will be taking a break from training and competition,” Lochte's publicist said in a statement released Tuesday. “His medical team expects him to make a full and speedy recovery and Ryan thanks everyone for their well wishes.”

The three-time Olympian who grew up in Daytona Beach was one of the lynchpins of the United States’ men’s swimming team at the 2012 London Olympics, where he won two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal. He has spent the past few months training in Charlotte, N.C., but has spent much of his swimming career training in Gainesville, Fla., with coach Gregg Troy.