Ryan Lochte Opens Up About 2016 Olympics Incident, 'I Went From Loved To Hated'

Ryan Lochte is reflecting on the 2016 gas station incident in Brazil that changed his life forever ... saying he was so distraught over it all, he at one point felt like the worst man in the world.

Lochte -- a 12-time Olympic medalist -- joined ex-NFL QB Jay Cutler on his "Uncut" podcast this week ... and the two discussed the infamous incident that landed him in hot water.

"I had rude awakenings," Lochte says, "being where everyone loved me and I was on top of the world, I felt like." "And then in one stupid night ... gone. I was like the worst guy in the world or something at one point."

Remember, Ryan claimed he and other U.S. swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station during the world's biggest sporting event.

After looking into Lochte's allegations, Brazilian authorities ultimately charged him with filing a false police report ... but he claims -- aside from one detail -- he was telling the truth.

"They did the investigation," Lochte said. "I didn't do anything wrong. What I said was right. The only thing I fabricated was when the gun was pointed to me, I said it was pointed to my head, but it was like three or four feet away."

The swimmer's lawyer told USA Today Sports a few months ago that the charges against Lochte had been dropped ... after a judge ruled Brazilian prosecutors could not prove their case.

Lochte later returned to the pool after serving a suspension, but failed to qualify for the 2021 Olympics.

"That was very tough," Ryan said. Throughout my whole swimming career and everything I've been through, I never went through depression."

"It was one of the hardest things besides 2016 ... was just waking up and looking myself in the mirror like, 'Damn, I'm a failure.'"