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Ross Murdoch
Ross Murdoch
Ross Murdoch
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Ross Murdoch (born 14 January 1994) is a Scottish competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in 2016 and 2020, the FINA World Championships and the LEN European Championships, and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games from 2014 to the present. Between 2014 and 2016, Murdoch became a World, European and Commonwealth champion.[2]

Key Information

Murdoch rose to prominence when he won the gold medal in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, beating favourite, Olympic silver medalist and fellow Scot Michael Jamieson. In 2015, he formed part of the Great Britain squad that won gold in the mixed 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, swimming in the qualifying heats, and adding a relay world title to the individual bronze won days earlier in the men's 100 metre breaststroke behind teammate Adam Peaty. In 2016, he qualified for the 100m breaststroke for the Great Britain team in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In the same year, he won his first European title with a gold medal in the 200 metre breaststroke, also picking up a silver medal in the 100 metre breaststroke silver medal behind teammate Adam Peaty and a bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke.

Swimming career

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Ross' first notable performance was in the 200 m breaststroke final at the British Gas Swimming Championships 2012 where he achieved a seven-second personal best[3] at the London Aquatics Centre.

In 2013, Ross made his senior international debut at the World Championships in Barcelona, in which he placed 30th in the 50 m breaststroke in 28.00 and advanced to the semi-finals in the 100 m breaststroke, placing 11th in 1:00.07. Ross was also selected for the British 4×100 m Medley Relay which came 9th in the Championships.

In 2014 Ross had international success with Gold in Austin Grand Prix for both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke as well as taking Gold in the 100 m breaststroke in the Flanders Speedo Cup,[4] receiving the award for top male swimmer due to achieving the highest number of FINA points.[5] In the Scottish National Championships and Commonwealth Trials, Ross picked up two Golds and a Silver medal, achieving a Scottish record in the 100 m of 59.75 which he since improved to 59.56 at the British Championships 2014. In 2015, he claimed the bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke, placing third behind fellow British teammate Adam Peaty and South African Cameron Van Der Burgh with a time of 59.09.[6]

He is currently coached by Ben Higson,[7] although predominantly coached by Jimmy Orr of West Dunbartonshire through his youth and is mentored by Rebecca Adlington[8]

International Swimming League

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In 2019 Murdoch was member of the 2019 International Swimming League representing Team Iron.

Commonwealth Games

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2014

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In July 2014, Murdoch competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games which were held in his home city of Glasgow, Scotland. He qualified (coming first) for the final of the 200 metre breaststroke with fellow Scots, favourite Michael Jamieson and Calum Tait. He won the Men's 200 metre final, beating Jamieson and Tait at the Tollcross Swimming Centre. This was his first major gold medal.[9] On the second day of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he qualified as the second fastest swimmer for the 100 metre breaststroke in a time of 59.72, only behind Adam Peaty who swam a time of 59.16 seconds. In the final, Murdoch won the bronze medal with a time of 59.47 seconds. He also qualified for the final of the 50 metre breaststroke, placing 6th in the final.[10]

2022

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At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, held starting in July in Birmingham, England, Murdoch won a bronze medal in the 200 metre breaststroke on the first day of swimming competition with a time of 2:10.41.[11] His achievement followed an eleven week retirement from swimming, that started in December 2021 and during which time he did not even get in a pool.[12] Four days later, he won the bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke with a time of 27.32 seconds.[13][14] The following day, he won a bronze medal as part of the 4×100 metre medley relay, splitting a 59.59 for the breaststroke leg of the relay in the final and contributing to a new Scottish record time of 3:35.11.[15][16] His medals helped to tie the all-time performance record by swimmers representing Scotland at a single Commonwealth Games in terms of total medals won, a record of 12 total medals previously set at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[16]

2016 & 2020 Olympic Games

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Ross finished 9th in the 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio with a time of 1:00.05.[2] During the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Ross finished 12th in the 200m breaststroke.[2]

Personal life

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Murdoch started swimming in Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, close to his hometown of Balloch, when he was 6 years old. He stated his father as being inspirational as he pushed him to achieve success. He was a pupil of Balfron High School. He has a younger sister, Heather, and a younger brother, Scott.

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Ross Murdoch

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Ross Murdoch is a Scottish competitive swimmer known for his success in breaststroke events while representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. He achieved notable international success, including Commonwealth Games medals across multiple editions and participation as a double Olympian in 2016 and 2021. His career highlights include top-level performances in major championships such as the World Aquatics Championships and European Championships, where he earned recognition as a champion-level performer in his specialist events. Murdoch concluded his international career at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, securing bronze medals in the 50m and 200m breaststroke events.

Early Life

Birth and Background

Ross Murdoch was born on 14 January 1994 in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. He holds Scottish nationality and spent his early life in West Dunbartonshire, growing up in the Vale of Leven area. He was raised on a tough estate in Alexandria, where he experienced adversity including being hit in the shin by a brick thrown at him on the way home from swimming training and being unable to afford a proper racing suit until age 18. These early years in Scotland preceded his involvement in competitive sports.

Introduction to Swimming

Ross Murdoch entered the sport of swimming as a youth and specialized in breaststroke as his primary event. This specialization shaped his development in the pool, leading him to compete in junior-level events across Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. His participation in these initial local and national junior competitions provided experience in competitive swimming during his pre-senior years.

Swimming Career

Early Competitive Years

Ross Murdoch's early competitive years saw him progress rapidly through national-level competitions in Scotland and Great Britain, establishing himself as a promising breaststroke specialist. He recorded his first notable senior-level success in 2011 by winning the 50 m breaststroke at the short course Scottish Championships in Inverness with a personal best time of 27.92 seconds. In 2012, he made a significant breakthrough at the British Gas Swimming Championships, where he dramatically improved his 200 m breaststroke time by seven seconds to finish seventh overall, securing qualification for the European Junior Championships in Antwerp. This performance marked his emergence as a contender in longer breaststroke events on the national scene. The following year, Murdoch achieved further national success at the 2013 British Gas Swimming Championships, claiming gold in the 100 m breaststroke and bronze in the 50 m breaststroke. These results highlighted his growing consistency across breaststroke distances and positioned him for his initial senior international exposure later in 2013.

Breakthrough and Peak Achievements

Ross Murdoch specialized in the 200 m breaststroke and established himself as one of Britain's leading swimmers in that event through consistent performances at national level competitions. His breakthrough phase began in the early 2010s as he transitioned to senior ranks and started contending for domestic titles, leading to major international success including gold in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and gold in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2016 European Championships. A notable achievement came at the 2017 British Championships in Sheffield, where Murdoch finished second in the men's 200 m breaststroke with a time of 2:09.15. He described the performance as a significant milestone following a challenging period since 2014, crediting a solid training base and looking forward to building on it for the international season. Murdoch continued to demonstrate strong form in lead-up events, qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021) by going under the consideration time in the 200 m breaststroke at the British Swimming Selection Trials in April 2021. These domestic successes reinforced his status as a top contender in British breaststroke swimming during his prime years.

International Competitions

Commonwealth Games

Ross Murdoch represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games on two occasions, achieving significant success in breaststroke events. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he won the gold medal in the men's 200 metre breaststroke, a victory that captivated the home nation and marked a major highlight of his career. This gold medal came in the host city, where he outperformed strong competition in his signature event. Following a period away from the sport, Murdoch returned to compete for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, securing bronze medals in both the men's 200 metre breaststroke and the men's 50 metre breaststroke. The 200 metre bronze represented a strong performance in his primary discipline, while the 50 metre bronze provided a notable achievement in the shorter sprint event. These results were described as a fitting and emotional conclusion to his international swimming career.

World and European Championships

Ross Murdoch achieved notable success at the World Aquatics Championships, earning medals in both individual and relay events. At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, he won a bronze medal in the men's 100 m breaststroke with a time of 59.09 seconds, which set a Scottish record. He also secured a gold medal as part of the Great Britain team in the mixed 4×100 m medley relay. At the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Murdoch contributed to a silver medal in the men's 4×100 m medley relay. He further excelled at the European Aquatics Championships, collecting multiple medals across individual breaststroke events and relays. In 2014 at the Berlin championships, he earned silver medals in both the 100 m breaststroke and 200 m breaststroke, along with gold medals in the 4×100 m medley relay and the 4×100 m mixed medley relay, in which he swam in the heats. At the 2016 championships in London, Murdoch won gold in the 200 m breaststroke and the 4×100 m medley relay (swimming in the heats), silver in the 100 m breaststroke, and bronze in the 50 m breaststroke. These performances highlighted his strength in breaststroke disciplines and relay contributions on the international stage.

Olympic Participation

2016 Summer Olympics

Ross Murdoch represented Great Britain in the men's 100 metre breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, his first Olympic appearance. In the heats, he recorded a time of 59.47 seconds, placing third in his heat and advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Murdoch clocked 1:00.05 seconds, finishing 11th overall across both semifinal heats and missing qualification for the final by three places. This performance marked the extent of his participation at the Games.

2020 Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marked Ross Murdoch's second Olympic appearance for Great Britain. Having contemplated retirement during the 2020 lockdown amid uncertainties over long-term funding, Murdoch regained form and qualified by meeting the consideration time at the 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials. He competed solely in the men's 200 metre breaststroke, advancing from the heats with a time of 2:09.95 to qualify for the semifinals. In the semifinals, he swam 2:09.97, tying for fifth in his heat (shared with Antoine Viquerat of France), resulting in an overall 12th-place finish and preventing advancement to the final. This performance represented a step forward in his Olympic journey.

Media and Public Appearances

Television and Broadcast Credits

Ross Murdoch has made limited appearances on television, primarily as himself in sports broadcast coverage tied to his competitive swimming events. These credits are concentrated around his notable success at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he won gold in the men's 200 m breaststroke. He featured in the 2014 Commonwealth Games television series in multiple segments, credited as Self in roles including Men's 200m Breaststroke Swimming Competitor for Scotland, Interviewee following his gold medal win (noted as SCO + Gold, Men's 200m Breaststroke), and participant in the medal ceremony. In the same year, Murdoch appeared as Self - Swimmer in an episode of the British television series Saturday Sportsday, which included reporting from the British Swimming Championships and featured several prominent swimmers. No additional television or broadcast credits are documented in major industry databases beyond these 2014 appearances.

Interviews and Documentaries

Ross Murdoch has participated in various interviews and podcasts, particularly in the later stages of his career and following his retirement, where he reflected on his experiences in competitive swimming. In November 2023, he appeared on the Propulsion Swimming Podcast in the episode titled "Ross Murdoch: Swimming Made Me A Better Person," providing an in-depth career reflection that covered his breakthrough gold medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the challenges of replicating that success in later years. During the discussion, he expressed contentment with his achievements despite not securing an Olympic medal, stating "I couldn't be happier I don't have an Olympic Medal." Earlier in 2023, Murdoch was featured on The Weekly Freestyle podcast in the episode "Ross Murdoch | A Story Like No Other," where he discussed his medal-winning career and popularity within the sport. In 2018, he told The Scotsman that he nearly quit swimming at age 16 before recommitting to the sport. Following his bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke at the 2022 Commonwealth Games—his final competitive race—he told BBC Sport he "couldn't have picked a better way to go." No dedicated documentaries featuring Murdoch are known to exist.

Personal Life

Personal Interests and Life Outside Sport

Ross Murdoch has largely kept his personal life private, with few public details available about his hobbies or interests beyond his swimming career. He has spoken about his relationship with his girlfriend, with whom he lived since just before the 2016 Summer Olympics. She was the first to recognize that he was struggling emotionally after the Games and played a key role in encouraging him to admit his difficulties and seek support. Murdoch noted that it took time for him to open up to her about his issues. Alongside his athletic pursuits, Murdoch balanced academic studies at the University of Stirling, where he had been based since 2012 through the high-performance swimming programme. He graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Management in 2022, describing the university as a significant part of his life for a decade and praising the support that allowed him to succeed in both academic and sporting contexts. He is originally from Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.

Legacy and Post-Competitive Activities

Ross Murdoch is regarded as one of Scotland's most successful breaststroke swimmers of his generation, particularly noted for his breakthrough gold medal and Games record in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. His overall Commonwealth Games tally of six medals—one gold, one silver, and four bronzes—highlights his consistent impact on Scottish and British swimming across multiple editions of the event. His resilience in overcoming challenges, including thoughts of retirement during the 2020 lockdown, culminated in a return to competition and two additional bronze medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, further cementing his status as a key figure in the sport. Following the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Murdoch has pursued a career in policing. As of November 2022, upon his graduation, he stated that he had not officially retired from swimming, still dreams about a return to the pool, and could consider competing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games if the motivation persists.

References

  1. https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/ross-murdoch/69fhihb0OFD51BsMSnT6cL
  2. https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1019926/ross-murdoch
  3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/25963689
  4. https://www.teamscotland.scot/ross-murdoch-a-decade-on/
  5. https://swimswam.com/bio/ross-murdoch/
  6. https://swimswam.com/murdoch-looks-make-200-breaststroke-magic-budapest/
  7. https://www.scottishswimming.com/about-us/history-of-our-sport/hall-of-fame/ross-murdoch
  8. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x22riak
  9. https://www.teamscotland.scot/athlete/ross-murdoch/
  10. https://swimswam.com/once-retired-ross-murdoch-battles-back-for-commonwealth-games-bronze/
  11. https://www.bbc.com/sport/commonwealth-games/62402001
  12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/33770719
  13. https://www.worldaquatics.com/athletes/1019926/ross-murdoch/medals
  14. https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/134071
  15. https://olympiandatabase.com/en/athletes-ross-murdoch
  16. https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/rio-2016/results/swimming/100m-breaststroke-men
  17. https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/57984000
  18. https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/tokyo-2020/results/swimming/men-s-200m-breaststroke
  19. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6439199/
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KPj5UZ4J0A
  21. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e176-ross-murdoch-swimming-made-me-a-better-person/id1492934826?i=1000633558540
  22. https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/ross-murdoch-a-story-like-no-other/id1635132780?i=1000616937114
  23. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/ross-murdoch-i-almost-quit-swimming-at-16-1427329
  24. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/commonwealth-games/62402211
  25. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/43601490
  26. https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2022/november-2022-news/ross-murdoch-still-dreams-about-a-return-to-the-pool-as-swim-star-graduates-from-the-university-of-stirling-/
  27. https://teamscotland.scot/athlete/ross-murdoch/
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