Clayton Murphy (born February 26, 1995) is an American

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

. He won the bronze medal in the 800-meter run at the

2016 Olympic Games The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. He was the gold medalist in the 800-meter run at the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

. He ran collegiately for the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...

, before signing with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

in June 2016 and joining the Nike Oregon Project. He retired from competition in May 2025.

Early life and education

Clayton Murphy is the son of Mark and Melinda Murphy. He was raised in

New Madison, Ohio New Madison is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 840 at the 2020 census. History New Madison was platted by Zadock Smith in 1817 for purposes of land speculation, but his efforts failed; he was unable to sell an ...

. He attended Tri-Village High School and began to take part in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

and

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

while there. Murphy broke the Division III state record in the 1600 Meter Run at the 2013 state track meet in Columbus in 4:11.72.

Collegiate career

2014

Murphy enrolled at the

in fall 2013. He began to train with the

Akron Zips The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...

college track team.Clayton Murphy University of Akron profile
. Akron Zips. Retrieved on 2015-07-27. There he was coached by the head distance coach, Lee LaBadie, who is a sub 4-minute miler and a former runner for the University of Illinois. At the 2014

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

(MAC) indoor meet, Murphy won the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards, 5,280 Foot (unit), feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance running, middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling ...

and was runner-up over

3000 meters The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m shou ...

. He went on to win the outdoor conference title in the

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers ...

. He ran 3:44.53 for the distance that year to win the Mt. SAC Relays.

2015

He opened the following academic year (2014–15) with a fourth-place finish at the MAC Cross Country Championships, then followed this with an 800 m/mile double at the MAC Indoor meet. In February he ran a personal best and school record of 4:00.39 minutes for the indoor

. On his national debut at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships he claimed third place in the 800 m with a new best time of 1:47.06 minutes. Similar results came outdoors, as he won a middle-distance double at the MAC Outdoor Championships and again placed third at the

2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held from June 10 to June 13, 2015. This was the 94th NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 34th NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Cham ...

. He also won the 800 m at the

Drake Relays The Drake Relays is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium (Drake University), Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it is regarded as one ...

and set a school record of 3:40.69 for the 1500 m. He placed well the following academic year (2015–16) with a 4th place at Mid American Conference Championships in Cross Country and twentieth place at 2015 NCAA Division I Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships. Murphy won 2016

Indoor Track & Field Championships titles in

Distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. With its inclusion in the IAAF World Relays program, the IAAF announced on May 1, 2015 that the event would be an official world record event ...

, 4x400 m relay,

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

, and

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

. Murphy won

2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships The 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 52nd NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 35th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in ...

. Murphy won 2016

Outdoor Track & Field Championships titles in

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

and

. Murphy won 1500 m at 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 3:36.38. Murphy won 12

titles,

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

2016 Indoor 800 m title,

2016 Outdoor 1500 m title and earned 4

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n awards.

National and international career

At the end of the college season, he entered the

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ...

. He ran personal records in each round and ended the competition in fourth place with a time of 1:45.59 for the 800m. This earned him selection for the American squad for the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. In his international debut – also his first time abroad – he surprised by winning the gold medal some four hundredths ahead of Colombia's

Rafith Rodríguez Rafith Rodríguez Lleneres (born 1 June 1989 in El Bagre), is a Colombian athlete competing predominantly in the 800 metres. His personal best in the event is 1:44.31 achieved in 2011 in Belém. Personal bests *400 m: 45.62 –Trujillo, Peru, 2 ...

, taking the lead in the final stretch. Murphy's roommate Ryan Martin was also a medalist in the event. Murphy was the first American in more than 15 years to win the title, following on from

Johnny Gray John Lee Gray Jr. (born June 19, 1960) is a retired American world-class 800 meter runner from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s and the holder of the 600m world best. A four-time Olympian (1984-1996), in 1985 he set the United States records in t ...

's 1999 victory. He earned a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in the 800 meters at the 2015

North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships The North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships is a continental track and field athletics event organised by the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association. The last of the six IAAF areas to hold a conti ...

. This edition, 2015 NACAC Championships were a regional track and field competition held at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica from August 7–9, 2015. Murphy finished 12th in

2015 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 800 metres Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * 15 (Buckcherry album), ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * 15 (Ani Lorak album), ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2 ...

held August 21–25, 2015 in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China. He chose to run the 800 meters at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, which paid off. His fast finish out-sprinted Boris Berian for the win and Olympic team berth in a personal record 1:44.76. He won Bronze in the 800m at the 2016 Rio Olympics in a new personal record of 1:42.93, the fifth-fastest time ever by an American. At the 2017 USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, Murphy finished first with a time of 4:00.0. He chose to compete in the 800 meters at the

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium (Sacramento), Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California, Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field ...

then compete in the 1500 meters at the same championships and ran 1:45.70 to make the final, but did not start in the 800 meters final after an injury in the 1500 meters final where he finished in 3:50.55 to place 13th in the 1500 meters. He joined Nike Oregon Project in August 2017 and moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

in the Fall 2017 to train at the Nike headquarters with Matthew Centrowitz, the Rio Olympic gold medalist over 1500m. Murphy won the 2020 Olympic Trials 800m in 1:43.17 to make his second Olympic team. In May 2025, he announced his retirement.

International results

Personal life

Murphy met fellow Olympian Ariana Washington over a game of Uno at the USA Track and Field Athletes Lounge in the Olympic Village at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. They got engaged in 2018, and were married in the Napa Valley on December 7, 2019.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Clayton 1995 births Living people Track and field athletes from Ohio People from Preble County, Ohio American male middle-distance runners Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games Akron Zips men's cross country runners Akron Zips men's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics American members of the Church of the Brethren Olympic male middle-distance runners People from Greenville, Ohio People from New Madison, Ohio USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportsmen