When Ryan Murphy touched the wall after his 200-meter backstroke semifinal performance on Wednesday night, everyone was shocked.
The defending silver medalist had just been eliminated.
Murphy finished in 1 minute, 56.62 seconds, placing him 10th out of 16 competitors, just 0.1 seconds away from the top eight needed to qualify for Thursday’s finals.
“I just don’t have a really great frame,” Murphy said.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed. It’s my fault. I just didn’t judge well enough.”
Murphy had the chance to become the first swimmer to reach the podium in consecutive 100 and 200 backstroke events, but missed out on making history.
He won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke on Monday.
The Florida native won gold in the 200m backstroke at the Rio Olympics, then won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
2024 Paris Olympics
The 29-year-old also won the 100 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and took bronze in Tokyo.
Murphy entered the Paris Games with six medals, including four gold, and was one of the most powerful American swimmers.
The gender was announced following Monday’s third-place finish.
Murphy spotted his pregnant wife, Brigitte Kontinen, in the stands holding a sign that read, “Ryan, it’s a girl.”
He finished the 100m in 52.39 seconds after a fierce final battle. USA Today pointed out All eight finalists were within 0.84 seconds of each other in time differences.
After Murphy was eliminated in the 200 meters, the U.S. turned to Keaton Jones, a 19-year-old from Gilbert, Arizona, who placed sixth in the 200 backstroke in 1:56.39.
It has been pointed out that: Swim, swimSince the 1996 Olympics, the United States has placed swimmers on the podium in every Olympic swimming event.
