The Springfield-born swimmer has been a sensation at the highest levels, and he is in Paris to rack up the gold medals in swimming for the US team. Here’s what we know about Ryan Held.
Ryan Held Background
Ryan Held was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, where he attended high school at Sacred Heart-Griffin before heading off for a career in swimming. That was not before he was named the Illinois State Swimmer of the Year in his senior year in 2014.
Ryan Held’s Career
Held’s first major whiff of the spotlight in his career came when he was selected to join the US relay swim team at the 2016 Olympics. He preserved the lead to seal the gold medal for the team, and all four swimmers got the Golden Goggle Award for the Best Relay Performance of the Year.
At the 2018 World Short Course Championships in China, Held contributed to four gold medals and a silver while setting records in tow. He set the record for the fastest relay leg in the 4×50 meter freestyle relay at 20:25 while setting an American record with his teammates for the 4×50 meter medley relay.
At the 2019 Phillips 66 Summer National Championships in Stanford, Held finished first place at the 100 meter freestyle prelim heats while breaking the US Open and Championship records all at once. He went on to reset the records later in the day, finishing the event finals in 47.39 seconds.
The swimming star has scooped even more medals over the years, and from varying competitions too. He met with success again at the 2021 World Short Course Championships, this time in Dubai, as well as at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
Held, along with the rest of the US team, already have a gold medal at the ongoing Olympics.
Personal
Held married Lexie Lupton in December 2022, after announcing his engagement to her the previous year. You can catch him on Instagram here.
Next, check out this post: Everything You Need To Know About Olympic Gold Medalist Matt King
