Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Murphy has not missed an international team since 2013, and with all of that experience he still gets nervous behind the blocks. Ryan explains the reality of battling competition nerves and more in this interview.
All elites were asked the same question in Greensboro, N.C. at U.S. International Team Trials–about how the absence of the Russian stars (due to the Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine) would impact World Championships. For Ryan, this question felt more pointed. Evgeny Rylov is, of course, the Russian 100 and 200 backstroke 2020 Olympic Champion. His absence feels pronounced, like a gaping void. Ryan answers this question diplomatically noting it is a World Championships, and in his words the field will be competitive no matter what.
2022 Ryan Murphy World Champs Predictions
Murphy’s 2016 Olympic sweep marked his top form, save his 1:53.57 200m back PB and his near-PB 51.9 100 back at the 2018 Pan Pacs. (He was 1:53.6 200 back and 51.8 100 back at the 2016 Olympics.) I think this World Champs, in this post Olympic year, will mark Ryan’s return to the top of the podium. I see this as an important first step on the road to Paris in 2024.
100 back – 52.1 for the gold, edging Hunter Armstrong
200 back – 1:54.3 for the gold (though I’m already feeling like this is too conservative, thinking that Murph might dip under, notching a 1:53.9)
But who cares what I think. It’s all about what you think. Drop your comments below.
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
He is not Olympic Champion he is a former Olympic champion
He literally won a gold medal in Tokyo.
And once an Olympic champion, always an Olympic Champion, you can’t have that taken away from you, ever.
…i am a former 5th place Olympic finalist in the 100 fly…so former “wooden” Olympic medalist (…always thought 4th to 8th should get wooden medals instead of certificates…which you eventually lose in your garage!!!)
when is the last time soemone went sub 153 in the 200 back
well Lochte holds the textile wr at 1:52.96 from 2011 so I’m guessing that
1:51.9 in a lzr legskin is pretty crazy. Peirsol has/had a great backstroke!
That’s because it wasn’t. He wore an Arena X-glide which was definitely the most elite supersuit besides Jaked.
…not a popular opinion, but I did like those jaked suits. I was at 2009 Worlds, and they looked like space-suits — def Formula One tech
“Why does Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy get nervous before proposing to his girlfriend?”
This is just the latest of articles in the “Ryan series”
…I’m down with a Ryan series.
Because he is a champion
I think Armstrong wins the 100 honestly, 52.0 or sub 52 for gold. Murphy 52.2/1:53.9.
My predictions are usually trash like yours though so I’m not betting much lol
Damn had to throw shade at Mel like that?
…brutal…crawling und
…brutal… crawling under my desk now
Armstrong obviously has the nitro to breakthrough, but after his Olympic experience, frankly, would just like to see him race in the final and make the podium.
Because he is human?
………when elites have been around a long time, there is that moment when you have to strive to create or manufacture excitement and tension. Doesn’t happen to everyone, but it is a thing.
Ryan Lochte went 1:52.9 in 2011. Jeez that shows you how good he was. Still the textile record and it’s not even close.
And then he decided to focus on the IM’s against the GOAT. And beat him! What a swimmer!
lochte’s 200 IM WR is from that same year so I think your timeline is a bit off
I think the 200 IM WR is a bit soft, one to go down by 2024… 2-back feels out of reach…
bruh noone these days is even a second within
200 back def out of reach
We thought Phelp’s 200 Fly record was out of reach until Milak obliterated it. Who knows what can happen in the next year or two!
Well Larkin and Rylov have been 1.53 low, so they’ve been pretty close, but the fact that Lochte went that time 11 years ago is just nuts
Irie went 1:53.26 in 2014 too.
…lochte plagued himself with a lot of needless small injuries. The guy was hands down the fastest man underwater. He’d pop off 23s in 50m underwater in season…did that quite a lot over the years and into his 30s. (I still think 200 free-fly-back underwaters should all be 15 meters, and if you’re conditioned enough, should have no impact on that final 50. Once at that level of conditioning, you are stupidly dangerous in a world or olympic final. For most elites that’s 10-11 kicks off each wall.)