Five-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy is back in the water and has his eyes set on LA.
Murphy, the American backstroke star who has represented the U.S. at the past three Olympic Games in Rio, Tokyo and Paris, took a break in 2025, opting not compete and instead focusing on a career in investing outside the pool.
He and his wife, Bridget Konttinen, also welcomed their first child, Eevi, in January 2025.
However, after a year and a half away, Murphy started up training last month and said the idea of competing at a home Olympics has been the main motivation.
“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Murphy said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area & California’s Matt Maiocco on Super Bowl Radio Row last week when asked about the prospect of competing at a fourth Olympics.
“I just started training last month, so I’m getting back in shape. Right now, I’m getting my butt handed to me, as I kind of shake off the rust, get the feel for the water, get some fitness back. But I’m excited.
“A home Olympics, I know I’d regret it if I tried to pass up that opportunity.”
Murphy also spoke about getting recruited to Cal, his relationship with Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and his love for his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars during the seven-minute interview:
Murphy, 30, last competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where he won gold as the lead-off swimmer on the U.S. mixed 4×100 medley relay that broke the world record, while he also won silver in the men’s 4×100 medley relay and bronze individually in the men’s 100 back. In the 200 back, he missed the final, placing 10th.
Murphy had a perfect start to his Olympic career at the 2016 Games in Rio, sweeping the men’s backstroke events with double gold in the 100 and 200 back while also leading off the U.S. men’s 4×100 medley relay to gold, breaking the individual 100 back world record (51.85) in the process.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Murphy added another gold in the men’s 4×100 medley relay while winning silver in the 200 back and bronze in the 100 back.
In addition to his five Olympic golds, Murphy also owns seven LC World Championship titles, including individual golds in the 200 back in 2022 and the 100 back in 2023.
Last summer, in Murphy’s absence, the American men struggled in the backstroke events, with no finalists in either the 100 or 200 back at the 2025 World Championships—their lone finals appearance came in the 50 back, where Quintin McCarty placed 5th.
Despite sitting back in 6th place after the backstroke leg, the American men salvaged a bronze medal in the 4×100 medley relay in Singapore, although it was their worst finish ever in the event at the Olympics or World Championships, not including disqualifications (having either won gold or silver in every other edition, along with multiple DQs).
Murphy won’t be competing at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships this summer, as the team has already been selected based on 2025 results, but we’ll presumably see him contest U.S. Nationals a few weeks earlier in Irvine, and potentially, at the selection meet for the Short Course World Championship team in the fall.
Murphy has nine short course world titles to his name, including winning five gold medals at the 2022 edition in Melbourne.
I’m happy to hear Ryan is going to try for LA2028, but given how minimally he improved since Rio, I think he has his work cut out for him!! Maybe find a whole new training approach?
Working in his favor is that nobody has clearly jumped up to take his spot from him.
Is he going to be working while training? And 2 kids?
The training will be the easy part!
Pulling for you Champ!
Nicholas Santos has returned to pro competition
quick ‘top-up’ break
Is Matt Fallon done swimming? Got a taste of the corporate life last summer and decided he was ok being done? We’ve got other options I feel pretty good about in the 100 now, not so much in the 200.
I told y’all he was done last summer and no one believed me
Sad that young people are running to the career/money course. As an official old guy, I know that life is about experiences and not career. Name one person who regrets not working more. And because you youngsters are going to be working for the next 50 years after MAGA is done gutting SSI, play now, kids, play now. Play and live your youth now because it will be gone sooner than you think.
There is not one word in this whole paragraph that isn’t wrong. kind of crazy someone or people would Down vote that
Well said!!
well said but we need to make the economics workable too
True, this economy is so bad. Some people don’t have the choice of having a healthy work life balance. I’m so grateful I do
Options are not a good across breast with Kelly going to swim for Ireland
Little early to tell how the competition shakes out but it may actually be easier for him to make the team via the 200 than the 100 depending on how the youngsters step up.
He’s said for a while that he was going to shift away from the 200. That event doesn’t get easier to train for as you get older. He’s not a true 50 guy, but I imagine he’ll dabble more there now that it’s an Olympic event so he still has 2 shots.
I completely forgot about the 50 lol. Yeah he actually may be able to rip a good one
The king is back! You’ve got the whole Bolles family rooting for you, Murph.
He’s training with CAL pro group still?
Yeah Huger posted about it