Ryan Murphy holds off Keaton Jones and Jack Aikins in 200 Back

US Olympic Trials Final Day 6: Ryan Murphy Holds off Keaton Jones and Jack Aikins for 200 Wins

For the third consecutive Olympic Games Ryan Murphy will represent the United States as the country’s leading men’s backstroker in both the 100 and 200 meters.

In his first Olympic appearance in Rio de Janeiro, Murphy won gold medals in both events, and five years later he returned to both podiums, although he failed to beat fierce Russian rivals. Since 2017, Murphy has won medals in seven of eight World Cup backstroke races (not including the February race, which he skipped), and over the past two years he has added to his list of career achievements with world titles in the 200. back (2022) and 100 back (2023).

At every big meet, Murphy shows up, and that was the case this week in Indianapolis when he withdrew Hunter Armstrong to regain the 100, and now he has secured his place in Paris in a 200m final that was much closer than expected. That’s because two middle-aged Americans didn’t let Murphy out of their sight all the way and even managed to close the gap on the all-star backstroker along the way.

Murphy was ahead by over half a second at the halfway point, but crushed the field halfway through the turn. In the last meters of the third length, however Keaton Jones And Jack Aikins each closed the gap. Murphy exploded again on the final turn, but Jones and Aikins closed in. The top three swimmers approached the flags in a pack, but Murphy kept his competition at arm’s length.

Murphy hit the ball in 1:54.33, becoming the first American to win both backstroke events at three consecutive Olympic Trials. Jones and Aikins both scored in the last 50, but Jones finished just ahead, 1:54.61 to 1:54.78, to claim a spot on his first Olympic team.

When Jones saw his time and place appear on the scoreboard, he became emotional, and Murphy, his teammate at Cal, raised his arm in celebration. The 1-2 finish for Murphy and Jones makes it three straight Trials that a Cal teammate has joined Murphy on the Olympic team in the 200 back. Earlier, Jacob Pebley made the team in 2016 while Bryce Mefford was the second swimmer in 2021.

He swam the fastest time in the world in his victory in the 100 backstroke, and Murphy did so again in the 200 back, completing the 1:54.51 of Hugo González earlier Thursday for the fastest time in the world this year. The 27-year-old heads into another Olympics as a major medal favorite and a serious contender for two golds, as well as a reliable force at the front of the U.S. men’s 400 medley relay.

Jones moved up to No. 3 in the world, while Aikins is fourth globally but has no chance of competing in Paris. This race marks a heartbreaking double for Aikins, who has now smashed his best times in both backstroke races, but finished third both times, two-hundredths in 100 behind and now 17-hundredths in the four-lap race.

Gonzalez, a Spanish swimmer who trained with Murphy for years at Cal, has emerged as a serious threat for the gold medal after winning the world title in February and breaking into 1:54 territory for the first time earlier Thursday, while the Hungarian swimmer Hubertus Kos will enter as a slight favorite after beating Murphy to win the world title last year. Since the conclusion of the last Olympic Games, Kos, Gonzalez and Murphy were the only swimmers to break 1:55 until the blistering efforts of Jones and Aikins in the final.

Both Jones and Aikins broke 1:56 for the first time in the semi-finals, setting themselves up for an exciting final showdown, but few expected either to seriously challenge Murphy. Destin Lascoanother Cal backstroker, was the second seed after representing the U.S. alongside Murphy in the final of last year’s World Championships, but Lasco opted to drop the 200 to focus on the 100 freestyle.

Lasco had already qualified in the top eight in the 100 free, and with the 200 semifinal coming back just before the freestyle final, Lasco decided to withdraw from his best event for his best chance at the Olympics to pursue, with a maximum of six 100 freestylers to be selected for relay purposes. However, Lasco’s gamble backfired when he dropped to fourth place in the 100 free final, two tenths behind sixth place. Matt King.