American Swimmer Ryan Murphy Credits Family For Success In Olympic Journey

May 22, 2024, 12:10 PM

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – It only takes one person to stand on a podium. But it takes a whole support group to get there.

Ryan Murphy has won four Olympic gold medals but he couldn’t have reached the pinnacle of the swimming world without his family by his side.

All smiles for one last tune up before Olympic Trials! pic.twitter.com/GIsHgFEv2k

— Ryan Murphy (@ryan_f_murphy) May 16, 2024

Murphy aims to win gold in Paris to make it three straight Olympic appearances with a medal.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Murphy won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke races. In 2020, he won gold and set a world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Despite his individual and team success at the highest level, Murphy credits his family for their role in his accomplishments.

“Whenever you have success, there’s so many people that played a part in that,” Murphy said. “Family’s obviously a huge portion of that. It’s incredible for the people that have helped you achieve success for them to be able to feel that moment.”

I’m doing it for my family, friends, hometown, teammates, coaches, the pursuit of greatness and @TeamUSA #OneForAll pic.twitter.com/2aZWjV8MDi

— Ryan Murphy (@ryan_f_murphy) April 16, 2024

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Murphy has dreamed of being an Olympic athlete from a very young age.

After winning his first medals as a 16-year-old at the World Junior Swimming Championships and Pan American Games, Murphy was hooked.

He went on to swim at Cal where he became an eight-time NCAA individual national champion.

Murphy won three gold medals at the 2016 Olympics and cemented himself as one of the best swimmers in the world. But he wasn’t done yet. He won five more gold medals leading up to the 2020 Olympics.

Murphy didn’t find much individual success at the Tokyo Games but that didnt stop him from claiming his fourth Olympic gold in a team event.

Murphy will look to add to his medal cabinet in Paris with his family in the stands.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.