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American gold medallist swimmer Ryan Lochte was robbed after having a gun pointed at his head in a 'terrifying' ordeal.

Update: Ryan Lochte charged over 'false robbery claim'. Below is the story as originally reported.

Lochte was on his way back from a party in Rio last night with three other swimmers when their taxi was held up and his wallet stolen.

He and three other US swimmers were robbed by people who used fake badges and pretended to be police officers.

32-year-old Lochte, along with Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen, were all unharmed.

Lochte told NBC: "I was with a couple swimmers, we got pulled over in our taxi and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge. No lights, no nothing, just a police badge.

"They pulled us over. They pulled out their guns. They told the other swimmers to get down on the ground, they got down on the ground.

"I refused. I was like 'We didn't do anything wrong so I'm not getting down on the ground.'

But, according to Lochte one of the men then pulled out his gun, cocked it, and put it to his forehead.

And he added: "He said 'get down'. I put my hands up. I was like "whatever". He took our money, he took my wallet."

(Image: Getty) (Image: Getty)

Gunnar Bentz tweeted: "We are all safe. Thank you for your love and support."

The USOC confirmed the athletes were all robbed on their way back to the Olympic village and said in a statement: "All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities."

Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira was also at the party and phoned Lochte after hearing reports of the robbery.

His spokesman said: "Today in the morning [Pereira] received the news about Lochte's incident, so he called him and Lochte told him he was fine and said the taxi he was in got robbed."

(Image: Twitter/Ryan Lochte)

Speaking to Fox Sports News, mum Ileana Lochte described the ordeal as “terrifying” .

She told USA TODAY Sports : “I think they’re all shaken up. There were a few of them.

“They just took their wallets and basically that was it.”

David Marsh, Lochte’s personal coach, had denied the claims and told the same site Lochte “was not held up."

The swimmer, who won gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay, is now being looked after by teammates following the ordeal.

Rio has seen a steep rise in violent crime recently, with 2,000 murders in the first seven months of this year.

The swimmer provoked amusement during the Olympics when his hair turned green.

Lochte was hoping to give swimming legend Michael Phelps a stern test in the men's 200m individual medley.

However, he finished a disappointing fifth place.

Lochte is the current world record holder in the men's 200m individual medley.

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Speaking last week, Lochte told how he wanted to start a family at some point.

Speaking to Today.com, he said: “I definitely want a family of my own, and I love kids.

"There’s no doubt in my mind that’s the route I want to take.”

The glitz and glamour of the Olympics is taking place against a backdrop of a city gripped by violence, vice and crime.

(Image: Twitter/RyanLochte)

Even as billions tuned in to see the action this week, three men – suspected gang members who rule the city’s favela slums – were shot dead by cops in a gun battle in north Rio.

A patrol of the 85,000-strong security forces brought in for the Games were shot at in the Mare favela after taking a “wrong turn”.

And within walking distance of the Olympic Park, where British stars Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Jessica Ennis-Hill are taking centre stage, underage girls sell their bodies, in a city with 12,000 sex workers.

(Image: REUTERS)

In the infamous Vila Mimosa – City of Tender Love – prostitutes made fliers for the Games, offering “cut-price” sex for 40 reals,or £9, almost half the usual price of 75 reals, or £17.

A flyer printed in English states that an hour’s sex during the Games will cost 60 reals (£13), down from 90 reals (£20), while a threesome is priced at 40 reals (£9) per girl for half an hour, and 80 reals (£18) for an hour.

Militias now run the litter-covered favela, in the west zone of the city, where the poor ended up after they were evicted from their homes for the Games.

This, and the battered economy, has seen many women end up working as prostitutes, say charities.