“American swimmer Ryan Murphy and teammate David Plummer try to reach podium”.
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The men’s 100 meter backstroke is an event the United States has traditionally dominated, and entering Monday’s final Americans had won gold in each of the five prior Olympic races.
The performance continued a dominant run in event for the U.S.at the Olympics. He’s 30 years old, making him the oldest first-time U.S. Olympic swimmer since 1904.
2012 Olympic champion Matt Grevers, who helped build the streak, did not qualify for Rio in any event at the U.S. Trials in June.
Overshadowed because he arrived in Berkeley in the same year as Missy Franklin, Murphy has won both the 100 (yard) and 200 (yard) Backstrokes NCAA Championships while constantly setting new records in all three years at Cal thus far.
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Eight-year-od Murphy may be disappointed to learn his 21-year-old self did not set a world record en route to his gold medal, but that gold he will take.
