Lochte's shoes are made for swimming

小臭贝

Ryan Lochte brought new meaning to the phrase "It's gotta be the shoes," Tuesday night.

The U.S. swimmer, who is sponsored by Speedo, is known for his sense of style -- he's been spotted on medal stands wearing metal grills in his mouth and Clark Kent-style, black-rimmed glasses. On Tuesday at the U.S. Swimming Championships, the Floridian unveiled his latest project: a new shoe.

Lochte worked with Speedo to design the high-top shoe, which was seen by the public for the first time when Lochte walked out for the start of the 400m individual medley. He had been talking about it for months on his Twitter feed, saying the new shoe would blow people away. "All I can say is it's a Martian," he said after winning the race.

The shoe is a bright and flashy green with a yellow stripe on the side, and the bottoms of the white-sided soles spell out his name: One shoe says "Ryan," the other "Lochte." Talk about leaving your mark wherever you go.

He talked to Universal Sports commentators Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines about the shoe earlier on Tuesday, saying they even have their own special carrying case.

"My shoes, they're tight. I love them," Lochte said in his post-race interview, the hoards of screaming girls audible in the background. "It definitely fits my personality."

Tuesday also happened to be Lochte's 26th birthday.