US Medal Winner Looks Into Stands, Gets the Ultimate Surprise During Medal Ceremony
The Olympic Games are a place for the world’s top athletes to show off their prowess and win recognition for themselves, their team, and their home country. People all over the world tune in to watch heart-stopping performances, last-second finishes, and feats no “normal” human could perform.
But for many, some of the best moments aren’t the events — they are the heart-warming moments between athletes and their families.
One such moment occurred on Monday after swimmer Ryan Murphy won the bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke.
According to CBS News, Murphy had received his medal and was leaving the platform when he looked up in the stands to his wife.
In one of the best gender reveals, Bridget Konttinen was holding up a sign.
“RYAN It’s a GIRL!”
USA Swimming and Team USA jointly shared a photo of the sign on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
“Step 1: Win an Olympic medal. Step 2: Find out you’re going to be a girl dad,” the caption said.
“I was walking back around and Bridget was holding up a sign and it said — ‘Ryan, it’s a girl. That was the first time I heard the gender,” Murphy told The Associated Press.
“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,” the swimmer added.
The AP reported that once Murphy began talking about his little girl, no other topic mattered — not his performance, not his medal.
“I think that just kind of, like, lit me up.” Murphy said. “And really brought this night to a whole other level.”
The Olympic medalist posted a picture and video of the gender reveal on his X account on Tuesday.
Safe to say that yesterday was a good day! https://t.co/YvgP5hZ83N
— Ryan Murphy (@ryan_f_murphy) July 30, 2024
“Safe to say yesterday was a good day!” the caption read.
The fact that Murphy is putting fatherhood ahead of athletic achievement is a testament to his character, and more importantly, it is a reminder of his Christian faith and the values he cherishes. I am “a firm believer in God. My faith is important to me,” Murphy told the National Catholic Register, per the U.S. Sun.
Murphy put his family first, celebrating the gift of life, and it is something that everyone should admire.
In an Olympics full of controversy — from a blasphemous tableaux of “The Last Supper,” to the polluted Seine river affecting Olympic, to repeated complaints over the poor condition of Olympic Village, to a boxing controversy that has taken the world by storm, to an athlete being sent home for breaking team rules — it’s nice to have these little moments.
Murphy and Konttinen’s new addition is due in January.
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