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By Matt Reese
In another stunning come-from-behind victory, Ohio native and former Darke County Fair hog exhibitor Clayton Murphy won the 800 meter at the USA Olympic Team Trials in Oregon on June 21. With about 200 meters to go, Murphy kicked into another gear and blew by the highly touted field, setting the pace with the fastest time in the world so far in 2021 at 1:43.17.
Murphy won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. After the incredible success there, he struggled with injuries, including leading up to what would have been the 2020 Summer Olympics. The delay of the event to this year allowed for training and recovery time. Most recently Murphy has been dealing with a hamstring injury, which has affected his training.
“It is a joy and an honor to go to the Olympic games and try to bring home another medal for us,” Murphy said in the press conference after his recent qualifying victory. “I am a completely different athlete than I was in 2016. I’m stronger on the top end and faster on the top end. I am super excited about what I can do over the next 6 weeks and actually train like an 800 meter runner.”
To read more about Murphy’s lead up to the 2016 Olympic bronze medal performance, click here.
