Ryan Murphy<\/strong> has officially punched his ticket to Rio after touching the wall first in the men\u2019s 100 backstroke. His time of 52.26 was just ahead of runner-up David Plummer\u2019s<\/strong> 52.28, who also qualified for his first Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Murphy, a rising senior at Cal, came into Omaha seeded third in the event. His time, which is a new personal best, is the second fastest in the world this year behind Plummer\u2019s 52.12 set during semifinals.<\/p>\n

The first-time Olympian swept\u00a0both the 100 and 200 yard backstrokes for the third year in a row at the 2016 NCAA Championships. He is the current American, NCAA, and U.S. Open record holder in both of those events.<\/p>\n

Murphy talked to the media after his race about how it feels to become an Olympian and his mentality during the race.<\/p>\n