Ryan Murphy is aiming to achieve something no other male swimmer in Olympic history has ever done, and he faced a key test in that quest Sunday in Paris.
Murphy is trying to become the first male swimmer to win medals at three consecutive Olympics in both the 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke, and made the semifinals of the 100m event on Sunday.
Murphy, who was competing in the first of two semifinals, finished fourth in his heat with a time of 52.72 seconds. The top three finishers in each semifinal automatically advanced to the final, with the two fastest remaining times also qualifying for the eight-rider field.
Fortunately for Murphy, his time held up well against those competing in the second semi-final, and he finished with the fifth fastest time, qualifying for Monday’s event final.
China’s Jiayu Xu flirted with a world record in the 100m backstroke before finishing with a time of 52.02 seconds, half a second faster than Italy’s Thomas Ceccon.
Murphy’s fellow American Hunter Armstrong finished 11thth and did not qualify for the final.
Murphy’s quest will continue Monday, with the 100m final scheduled for 2:19 p.m. CT.
He will begin his journey to the 200 backstroke final with his heat on Wednesday, with the tipoff set for 4:33 a.m. CT.
