Team USA Swimmer Ryan Murphy won a bronze at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics — and his wife made the moment even more memorable, sharing that they were expecting a little girl.
After the U.S. swimmer took home his third Olympic medal in the men’s 100 meter backstroke, his wife Bridget Konttinen — who is expecting the couple’s first child — stood up in the audience and held up a giant sign that read, “It’s a girl!” Olympics.com reported.
“I was walking back around and Bridget was holding up a sign and it said — ‘Ryan, it’s a girl,’” Murphy said. “That was the first time I heard the gender.”
“I think that just kind of like lit me up.” he added. “And really brought this night to a whole other level.”
“Up to this point, swimming has really been the most important thing in my life,” Murphy continued. “Pretty much 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.”
This is so much bigger than ANY medal. Congrats Murph!!@ryan_f_murphy pic.twitter.com/uLo5YuN7Ge
— Rowdy Gaines (@RowdyGaines) July 29, 2024
Speaking to reporters later, Murphy revealed that the two are expecting a daughter in January, the New York Post noted.
“We both — we honestly both thought it was going to be a boy,” the swimmer said. “And everyone — like everyone — we were talking to, they thought it was going to be a boy.”
Murphy and his wife tied the knot in 2023 and the Olympian credited his wife with helping him stay balanced ahead of the games.
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“When you have to analyze swimming things at such a granular level and really be a perfectionist, it’s easy to turn that perfectionism in on yourself and start analyzing your own personality characteristics and stuff like that,” Murphy said.
“Having her gives me a lot of great balance in my life,” he added. “She’s someone who could say, ‘Hey, Ryan, you’re going a little bit too hard at this, you can be a little bit softer on yourself today.’ She’s great for me and helps me keep a level head on things.”
Murphy will return to the pool on Wednesday where he will compete in the 200-meter backstroke, the Post noted. During his Olympic career, he’s taken home a total of seven medals.
