Bridget Konttinen is dating Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy. He is best known in the pool for his backstroke and as Sports Illustrated reported, Murphy’s striving to be the “greatest U.S. Olympic backstroker of all time.”
Like her famous boyfriend, Konttinen is also a former college athlete and now works for Nike. She and Murphy have been dating since late 2016, according to their Instagram accounts. She posted a photo on December 12, 2016, that she said was their first kiss.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Bridget Konttinen Is a National Champion Rower
Getty Bridget Konttinen has been dating Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy since 2016.
Konttinen was a competitive rower in high school and college. In 2013, the year she graduated from high school, Konttinen won a U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship, according to the Marin Independent Journal. She was part of the Marin Rowing Association’s women’s varsity team.
Konttinen was also named the Marin Rowing female athlete of the year in 2013, according to her profile on the University of California Berkeley profile.
Konttinen competed for Berkeley from 2013 to 2017. Her roster profile notes that during her sophomore season, her rowing team finished in second place at the Pac-12 Championships.
2. Konttinen & Murphy Both Studied Business at the University of California Berkeley
Konttinen and Murphy attended the University of California Berkeley at the same time. According to their respective roster profiles on the school’s athletic website, they were both students in the Haas School of Business.
Konttinen was recognized as a UC Scholar-Athlete at least twice, according to her roster profile. That meant she earned at least a 3.5 grade-point average.
Konttinen graduated in May 2017, according to this post on her Instagram account. Murphy also participated in the graduation ceremony but Konttinen noted that at the time, Murphy had one more semester before he could receive his diploma.
3. She Has Been Working for Nike Since 2018
Getty Bridget Konttinen attends the 2018 Golden Goggle Awards on November 19, 2018 in New York City.
Konttinen interned at Nike while she was a college student. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was part of retail operations for the global basketball department.
That experience helped lead to a full-time job with the athletic brand after she graduated from UC Berkeley. She was hired as a Creative Coordinator for “Global Brand Experience” in January 2018, according to LinkedIn. She shared the news by sharing a photo of the Nike headquarters in December 2017. She wrote, “Officially making the move to Nike WHQ to join the Global Brand Creative Innovation team! So grateful for all people who helped along the way.”
After about a year in that position, Konttinen was promoted to Production Coordinator for the Global Brand Creative unit. Her job has included international travel to work on photo shoots. She shared several photos from Japan during a work trip there in 2018.
4. Konttinen Says She Arranges Virtual Cooking Dates With Murphy When They Are Away From Each Other
Getty Bridget Konttinen and Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy.
Konttinen and Murphy had to navigate a long-distance relationship when she moved to Portland, Oregon, for the job at Nike. In a feature on the “More Than The Score” website in May 2018, Konttinen shared that one way she and Murphy stayed connected while living apart from each other was to have virtual cooking dates:
I’m starving when I get home. I’m big into healthy fun recipes, so my latest creation is Chickpea carbonara pasta. It’s high protein, but tastes like cheesy pasta.
While I eat dinner, I’ll either FaceTime family/friends or watch TV. Living in my own place can be quiet, so I like enjoying food with loved ones. Sometimes I’ll even arrange virtual cooking dates with my boyfriend where we get all the same ingredients and cook our favorite recipes via FaceTime …Haha Pro tip for anyone braving the LDR (long distance relationship).
But when they’re not FaceTiming, Murphy and Konttinen have enjoyed traveling together. Their Instagram accounts include photos from trips to Greece, Italy, Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley.
5. Konttinen Grew Up Playing Tennis & Runs Marathons
According to her profile on More Than The Score, Konttinen said she grew up playing and watching sports. She said she played tennis from the time she was young:
I love watching ALL sports– especially if it’s during the NBA playoffs, a Tennis Grand Slam or the Olympic Games. I grew up playing tennis with my dad and would watch Andre Agassi play at our local club in Tiburon, California. Federer and Serena are my favorite players (Nike bias aside). Roger is simply a class act on and off the court and Serena won a grand slam while pregnant. Enough said.
Since graduating from college in 2017, Konttinen has also become a runner. Murphy congratulated her in May 2019 after she ran her first marathon. According to his Instagram post, Konttinen finished in 3 hours, 11 minutes.
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Bridget Konttinen, Ryan Murphy’s Girlfriend: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know