American swimmer Ryan Murphy clinched a second gold medal at the Rio Olympics on Thursday, in the 200-meter backstroke. Earlier in the week, he won the gold in 100-meter backstroke, too, and managed to set an Olympic record while he was at it. This summer marks the 21-year-old swimmer's Olympics debut, and when he won his first gold medal on Monday, Murphy's parents' reactions to his victory were absolutely adorable. And when he won again on Thursday, their response was just as heartwarming.
When Murphy was just 8 years old, he wrote a note to his parents — which NBC recently published — expressing his Olympic ambitions. "I hope my swimming life continues and I become an Olympian when I grow up," the 2003 note reads. "I hope I will break the world records. I want to be the best swimmer in the world. THE END!!!!!"
The note even includes a drawing of Murphy wearing a giant gold medal. Now, over a decade later, Murphy has not only satisfied his dream of becoming an Olympian, but has also succeeded in setting an Olympic record — even if he didn't break a world record quite yet. And when he received the gold on Monday, his parents embraced each other in the stands to celebrate their son's success — an entire 13 years after they read about his aspirations.
Because of Murphy's latest victory, the Rio Olympics mark the sixth time an American has won the gold in the 200-meter backstroke event — this streak has continued during every Olympic Games since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Murphy also has one more shot at a gold medal this summer, during Saturday's medley relay, though his parents already have a great deal to celebrate. Twitter users sure thought so: Many swimming fans gave shout-outs to Murphy's parents after he won the gold on Monday.
His parents aren't the only ones getting a lot of love during this summer's Games. Gymnast Aly Raisman's parents have been making headlines for their nervous reactions to their daughter's performances, and it was only after she nabbed the silver medal in the women's all-around that they let out sighs of relief. Between all of these parents and Boomer Phelps, Team USA has a lot of supportive family members on its side, and they have every reason to be proud.
