Nearly 7 years after the retirement of Michael Phelps who won 28 Olympic medals, a “competitive” Ryan Murphy is ready for the Paris Olympics 2024. Murphy made his debut in 2016 at the Rio Games which were Phelps’ last Olympics has just confirmed his ticket for a 3rd cycle. Right now, the American swimmer’s focus is on the “different areas to improve” to achieve “things that no one has ever done before.”

In Rio, at just 21, Murphy swept three gold medals. This year, nearly a decade later, everyone is waiting in anticipation to watch him reach the same level of success again. Recently NBC Chicago posted an interview with Ryan Murphy on his Instagram channel captioning, “Swimmer Ryan Murphy, known as ‘king of the backstroke,’ is heading to his third Olympics. His goal for Paris? To do something nobody has done before. The suburban Chicago native opens up about his goals, his Olympic history and more in an interview in our new series Hometown Hopefuls.”

When asked about his goals, the swimmer smiled and said, “I want to win everything. Human nature, I’m so competitive.” However on a more serious note, he explained how now he is trying to slowly build up a reputation and records, it’s no longer just about winning gold. 

He said, “In terms of more like legacy goals, I don’t think anyone has ever medalled both the 100 and 200 back in 3 consecutive Olympics. So, I like the idea of trying to do things that no one has ever done before. And being able to have success in two events at a high level is something I take very seriously.”

This year during the trials, he touched the wall at 1:57:58 making it the third fastest time in the prelims. On Monday he had already made the team for the 100m event with a time of 52.22. This made him the first Olympian from Jacksonville since 1980 to qualify 3 times. When compared to Michael Phelps, Murphy’s trial scores still stand strong. During Phelps’ last Olympics in 2016, he had a time of 1:56.68 for the 200m fly. Making it into the top 20 rankings of that year, it was his fifth Olympics cycle.

Maybe Ryan Murphy can also hold on for 2 more Olympic rounds. Murphy has an impressive list of Olympic Games medals. He has 4 Olympic golds, amongst 6 total medals amassed in 2016 and 2021. In 2016, he won gold in 100m back, 200m back, and 4x100m relay. In 2021, he won gold in the relay, silver in the 200m, and bronze in the 100m. His past performances and recent trial scores are a good indication of his prowess.

Ryan Murphy to Face Stiff Competition in Paris

Ryan Murphy is perhaps one of the most anticipated swimmers in the US. After watching him compete for 2 consecutive Olympics and win medals, the audiences feel a special camaraderie with him. However, Murphy’s competition this time around is going to be tough. He’s set to go up against Ryosuke Irie from Japan, who is the current record holder in the 200m event. Irie has an impressive time of 1:51.51 set at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Additionally, Irie overcame Murphy in the 2020 Tokyo Games by winning silver in the 100m backstroke event. 

Additionally, there is Kliment Kolensikov from the ROC who might be a threat. He won the 100m backstroke event in Tokyo, with a time of 51.92 seconds. He also won silver in the 200m backstroke event the same year. Australian Mitch Larkin is also one to look out for in the 200m. Being the former world record holder with a time of 1:51.95 in 2015. He has won gold in the event during both the Pan Pacific Championships and the Commonwealth Games. During last year’s World Aquatics Championships, he finished 2nd in the event. All in all the lineup for the Olympics is proof that the events are going to be extremely exhilarating to watch.