Swimmer Ryan Murphy's Wife Bridget Surprises Him With Gender Reveal for First Baby at Olympics

Murphy received the news from his wife in the stands, as she held up a sign cheering him on during his swim which read, "Ryan it's a girl!"

Olympian Rowdy Gaines wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a photo of the moment, "This is so much bigger than ANY medal. Congrats Murph!!"

"That was the first time I heard the gender," he told AP. "We both — we honestly both thought it was going to be a boy. And everyone — like everyone — we were talking to, they thought it was going to be a boy."

"I think that just kind of like lit me up," he added. "And really brought this night to a whole other level."

The pair have been together since 2016 and tied the knot on September 30, 2023.

The 29-year-old took home his seventh Olympic medal after he earned third place in the 100-meter backstroke race, edging out Greece’s Apostolos Christou by 0.2 seconds.

Murphy is in the midst of attempting to be the first male swimmer to win a medal in both the 100m backstroke and the 200m backstroke in three consecutive Olympics.

"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," he told Olympics.com, "and start analyzing your own personality characteristics and stuff like that."

The seven-time medal winner added that Bridget gives him a "great balance" in his 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,'" he continued. "She's great for me and helps me keep a level head on things."

Not only has Konttinen been his support system privately in their relationship but also publicly, sharing her excitement for her husband's accomplishments on social media.

"THIRD Olympic Games locked inus," she wrote via Instagram in June. "This man blows me away. Consistently reaching this stage over 12 years -- it's hard to comprehend what that takes mentally and physically. He makes it look effortless when it’s really hours of unseen work, an unshakable mindset under pressure and a strategic intellect that honestly scares me sometimes😅."

She continued, "I'm so grateful to be by your side through all of it. So in awe of you @ryan_f_murphy . NEXT STOP PARIS❤️🤍💙."