Ryan Murphy

Ryan Murphy is a competitive swimmer specializing in backstroke. He is a former world record holder in the men's 100-meter backstroke and has accumulated nine Olympic medals. His accolades include five gold medals he earned at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke and 4x100-meter medley relay events. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Murphy earned a bronze in men's 100-meter backstroke, silver in men's 4x100-meter relay, and gold in the mixed 4x100-meter relay. Murphy also holds the record for the 4x100-meter mixed relay.

He began dreaming of competing at the Olympic Games when he was seven years old. Murphy graduated from Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he was an eight-time NCAA individual national champion in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstrokes. He has also set multiple records in various swimming events, breaking American records previously held by Ryan Lochte in the 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard backstroke. His journey to Olympic success began at the 2012 World Short Course Championships, where he won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay after missing the United States Olympic team earlier the same year. He has since consistently proven his abilities at various levels of competitive swimming. A notable achievement includes his record-setting performances in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes at the 2014 NCAA D1 Swimming Championships.

Murphy has also been recognized for his numerous contributions to the sport through awards such as the Golden Goggle Awards and the SwimSwam Swammy Awards. Notably, he was awarded the Male Athlete of the Year in both 2018 and 2021. Further reflecting his standing in the sport, Murphy was selected as one of four captains for the US Olympic swim team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. As part of his ongoing commitment to competitive swimming, Murphy competes as part of the LA Current in the International Swimming League. He was named the most valuable player (MVP) of a playoff match in the 2021 ISL season and set new Americas, American, and ISL records in the 50-meter backstroke event.