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Ryan Lochte spotted ‘cozying up’ to Australian swimmer Blair Evans

Ryan Lochte had a goal for the 2012 Olympics: He vowed not to make the same mistake in London that he did in Beijing.

Now, you're probably thinking: What mistake could a guy who won three gold medals have possibly made?

My last Olympics, I had a girlfriend - big mistake. Now I'm single, so London should be really good.

If Australian media reports are any indication, Lochte didn't waste much time reveling in his Olympic bachelorhood. Numerous outlets have linked the American superstar and main Michael Phelps rival to Australian swimmer Blair Evans.

The Herald Sun reports:

Lochte slipped under several lane ropes to say hello to Evans near the blocks when he first spied her at training but it was the brief underwater hand touching that set poolside observers speculating.

The duo later left the pool deck together to take the bus back to the athletes' village.

The Brisbane Times was more circumspect but totally wouldn't be surprised if someone overheard Evans telling a friend that she thought Lochte was super cute.

While nothing has been confirmed by either camp, the pair looked flirty in the water together, stopping to chat and laugh at the end of a lap, definitely making what is normally an arduous task of training appear far more pleasant.

Both Evans and Lochte will swim the 400 IM on the first day of swimming competition. The American is favored to win the men's event to gain the early upper hand in his battle with Michael Phelps. Evans is hopeful of making the final in hers.

[ Related: See the stunning mates of Olympic athletes ]

Their underwater hand touching is especially big news down under given the intense swimming rivalry between the Aussies and Americans. One newspaper jokingly suggested that Evans flipping Lochte is the country's best chance to regain in-pool dominance.

And, Ryan, if you're going to go about correcting a mistake, start with that hat.

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