When Ryan Murphy tied the knot with college sweetheart Bridget Konttinen in 2023, the swimming icon probably didn’t think one of his moments in life would come the very next year. The two have been dating since 2016, but Konttinen chose the City of Love as the perfect stage to give her husband the surprise of a lifetime.

While the four-time Olympic and eight-time NCAA gold medalist didn’t get to upgrade his bronze medal from Tokyo to gold in Paris, his wife made sure he didn’t leave the Olympic Aquatics Center with a long face. While fans are understandably sad to see the ex-UCLA star not be able to mirror his success from the US Team Trials on the grand stage, it seems like they’re up for shifting their focus elsewhere for the time being.

Ryan Murphy bombarded with jubilant news

In a post on X by three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines from just hours ago, the latest development in the Murphy household has been shared with the world. “This is so much bigger than ANY medal,” reads the caption of the post, accompanied by an image where Gaines can be seen standing, with Bridget and Ryan’s mom, Katy, in the stands, undertaking their cheerleading duties.

Bridget and the others are seen holding up a large flyer spelling out “RYAN it’s a GIRL!” and the Olympic veteran had to congratulate Murphy for the happy news. While Ryan finished the race more than half a second slower than his personal best time in the event (at the 2016 Olympics, he won the gold in 100m backstroke, finishing in 51.85 seconds), Konttinen’s announcement could help to rid him of his sadness for now.

Justifiably, the fans are in a fix: on one hand, they’re disappointed to see Murphy’s performance; on the other, they are at a loss for words with happiness for the celebrity swimmer. And obviously, they took to social media to voice their feelings.

The fans turn their frowns upside down

Members of the community can barely hold it together, reflecting the emotions that Rowdy posited in his post about the news being more significant than any medal that hangs with pride in Ryan’s cabinet. Mirroring the same joy, Andrea commented, “You all won the internet with this post!! Love it,” as she congratulated the swimmer for being on his way to becoming a girl dad. Ryan’s mom, Katy, also put a heart emoji in the comment section below the post, and Gaines’ peppy mood was once again showcased as he replied to her comment with the name she will soon be called by: “Grandma!!!” As if applauding the entire family during their good times, Mike wrote, “Congratulations!!!!!”

“Congrats to Ryan’s wonderful family and his wife!” said Ali, who is evidently over the moon by the news. Bridget was also a student-athlete at UC Berkeley, where she and Ryan first set eyes on each other. Naturally, as the couple celebrates their full-circle moment, many long-time fans would also want in on the celebrations. Ryan still has the 200m backstroke to look forward to in the French capital. It’s the same event in which he won gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and silver in Tokyo.

With Ryan Murphy being among the favorites to win the race, he will need every bit of motivation to do so. However, Willie thinks now that the news about the swimmer’s future child is out, the American record holder will have a hard time losing. “Girl dads for the win!” announced the fan with confidence. “Awesome news !!!” wrote another fan as the world tried to find the right way to congratulate Ryan and his beloved. Do you also think this is all the boost that the 29-year-old needed before his big event in the longer distance? Share your good thoughts about the family with us below!