Here’s Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte wearing a Grill over his teeth after Saturday’s Gold Medal win.

Remember five years ago when rappers were all about wearing GRILLZ over their teeth? Well, apparently that trend just caught on in the world of U.S. swimming.

When RYAN LOCHTE beat MICHAEL PHELPS to win his first gold medal on Saturday, he planned to wear a special red, white, and blue GRILL on the medal stand. But the Olympic organizers heard about it . . . and told him NO.

Apparently, they told Lochte that if he wore the grillz, they WOULDN’T GIVE HIM his medal. So he didn’t. Which, long-term, he’ll probably be happy about. They really did protect him from himself.