Paris Olympics: After 100 Back Bronze, Ryan Murphy Learns ‘I Will Be a Girl Dad’
After earning Olympic bronze in the men’s 100 backstroke, the third consecutive Olympics in which he has reached the podium in the event, Ryan Murphy had a surprise waiting as he walked the pool deck at La Défense Arena posing with his bronze medal. Murphy noticed his wife Bridget in the stands holding a sign: “Ryan, it’s a girl.”
Murphy was not complaining about his bronze-medal performance even beforehand, but the gender-reveal prompted a massive smile that he wore for the rest of the night.
“We had been guessing for a couple weeks now what the gender was going to be,” Murphy said, noting that he had been thinking female based on patterns in his mother’s family. “That’s a great way to find out. That really lit me up and brought this night to a whole other level.”
Murphy has made a career of his consistency on the international stage, winning a medal in all but one Olympic and World Championship backstroke race (aside from this February’s meet, which he skipped) since 2016. During that entire time, swimming has been the center of his life, having graduated from college in 2017. When his first child arrives, Murphy notes, life will be much different.
“It’s really exciting to learn that I’m going to be a girl dad. January of next year, my life is going to change, and I’m really excited for that,” he said. “It definitely does put things into perspective. I think up to this point, swimming has been the most important thing in my life. Every major decision I make is with swimming in mind, and that’s going to change coming up. I’m really looking forward to what’s coming, a baby girl, and also looking forward to the rest of this week.”
Murphy is not the only member of the U.S. team to join the parental ranks. Caeleb Dressel, who Murphy has known since their childhood days, welcomed a son last year while Nic Fink, Murphy’s co-captain on the U.S. men’s team, is expecting a child with his wife, 2016 U.S. Olympian Melanie Margalis Fink. But Murphy, a fan of his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, is perhaps most excited about becoming a parent at the same time as Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“I don’t know how far along Trevor Lawrence and his wife are, but he has a daughter on the way, so I hope our daughters can be friends,” Murphy said.