Ryan and Bridget Murphy.Photo:Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Olympic gold medalistRyan Murphytook a moment to gush over his wife,Bridget Konttinen, ahead of the2024 Paris Olympics.
“I think she’s someone who definitely gets me just motivated about life. She’s super optimistic, and I think that’s just been really helpful for me in terms of my approach to the sport,” the Olympian says of his college sweetheart.
Thecouple marriedat theEverline Resort & Spain Olympic Valley near Lake Tahoe on Sept. 30, 2023.
Ryan Murphy.ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
Murphy says Konttinen “was doing most of the wedding planning,” as he continued training for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers. (That same month,it was reportedthat Murphy had qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials in June.)
“I was very much in just the support role there,” he says with a laugh.
“It was cool to have another project in September. And then really, since then, I’ve just been kind of riding the emotional high of that day,” Murphy says of his wedding, adding that “it was the best day ever.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Later, when Murphy and his teammates reunited in Los Angeles in November to shoot promotional assets for NBC, the four-time gold medalist says, “I’ve felt that we’ve been in the Olympic year this whole time, but seeing all the lights and the production, that definitely adds another element to it.”
He notes, “It definitely does kind of make it a little bit more real.”
Ryan Murphy, Team USA.Tom Weller/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Tom Weller/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
“We have an incredible group of athletes who are really training in a lot of different places, but we know that everyone’s getting after and doing what they need to do to improve,” he says.
In 2016, Murphy made his Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, where he won gold medals in the men’s 100m and 200m backstroke races. Five years later at the 2020Tokyo Olympics, he helped Team USA win the men’s 4x100m medley relay and set a new world record.
When Team USA arrives in Paris this summer, Konttinen will be in the city of love to cheer on her husband. “She’ll be there,” says Murphy. “They’ve already gotten an Airbnb, so hopefully I make it and they can keep that Airbnb,” he jokes.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.com. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC and Peacock.
source: people.com
