Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy's pregnant wife surprises him with gender reveal after he wins bronze medal

NANTERRE, FRANCE: Team USA's Ryan Murphy, 29, secured a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke race at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, July 29, but his pregnant wife had an even bigger surprise prepared for him.

As the crowd celebrated his Olympic achievement, Bridget Konttinen Murphy, held up a handwritten sign, revealing the gender of their first child. 

Ryan Murphy's Paris Olympic triumph included a memorable gender reveal

The Chicago native, who previously earned three medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and three in Tokyo in 2021, edged out Apostolos Christou of Greece by just .02 seconds to secure third place in the 100-meter backstroke.

As the swimmer completed his victory lap, Bridget held up a sign that read, "Ryan, it's a girl!"

The swimming community was in awe and quickly showered the couple with congratulations. NBC commentator and three-time gold medalist Rowdy Gaines highlighted the significance of the moment on social media, posting on X (formerly Twitter), "This is so much bigger than ANY medal. Congrats Murph!!"

Ryan was later spotted sharing a kiss with his wife in the stands. Their baby girl is due in January.

Ryan Murphy credits his wife for keeping him level-headed during high-stakes events

Currently, Ryan Murphy is attempting to achieve a historic feat: becoming the first male swimmer to medal in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke in three consecutive Olympics.

The Olympian credits his wife, Bridget, who he tied the knot with on September 30, 2023, for providing essential balance in his life during such high-stakes competitions.

"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," said Ryan in June. 

He added, "Having Bridget gives me a lot of great balance in my life. She's someone who could say, 'Hey, Ryan, you're going a little bit too hard at this, like, you can be a little bit softer on yourself today.' She's great for me and helps me keep a level head on things," as per Olympics.com.

Ryan will return to the La Defense Arena on Wednesday to compete in the 200-meter backstroke race.

Internet gushes over Ryan Murphy and Bridget Konttinen Murphy

The excitement surrounding Ryan Murphy's bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics was doubled by the surprise gender reveal, leading fans to shower him with love and congratulations. 

One wrote, "You guys win the internet today!! That's the best ~ Congratulations girl dad!!" and another said, "A totally agree! His soon-to-be newborn is his gold medal !"

"Girl dads for the win!" gushed a person, with someone else saying, "Damn fine swim Ryan. Congrats on both." 

"Eppppppiiiiiiiicccc," simply wrote an individual. "Congratulations to Ryan! I am sure he is much more happier about him having a girl than his bronze tonight," expressed a follower. 

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