Father-son duo to continue triple jump tradition

The Olympic Games are renowned as a family affair. They are the culmination of years of training by athletes and their coaches, and often with the extensive support of their parents and friends.

The athletics Murphy clan heightens this family tradition.

Connor Murphy will make his Olympic debut in the triple jump at Paris 2024, with his father, Andrew Murphy, as his coach.

Andrew knows all too well about competing under the glare of the five rings – he’s a three-time Olympian who soared to 16.80m in the final of the same event at Sydney 2000.

Together, they have spent hours at the track finessing Connor’s hop, step and jump, ensuring he can follow in his father’s footsteps at he Olympic Games.

The 22-year-old has had athletics in his blood since birth, with his arrival in October 2001 pre-dating his father’s continued Australian representation at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games and the Athens 2004 Olympics.

That embedded his passion for pulling on the spikes, and a start at Little Athletics alongside his three brothers soon followed.

“I remember very little from when Dad was competing, as I was still a bit too young,” Connor said. 

“I do remember growing up hearing that athletics is the best sport ever and that triple jump isn’t that unique. I suppose growing up it was normalised in the family. 

“Dad was a person that everyone knew around the track. Everyone knew who I was before I’d met them. Having clear markers of what Dad was doing at the same age made it competitive. It gave me something to work toward. 

“He made it to three Olympics and had a good career, and I could see that I was 15 and doing this, and Dad had done that at a similar age, so having that to assess my development [against] pushed me to get where I am today.”

Andrew is now set to ride the wave of each round as coach.

“We try not to bring it home,” Andrew said.

“Lucky for Connor he lives at Sydney University on campus, which is great, but even when he lived at home we tried not to bring the track back. 

“Conversations invariably come up, but we try to separate Dad and coach because it’s too much otherwise.

“My goal was always to get him in a window where he has the best opportunity to perform at his best. That’s my goal for any athlete,” Andrew added. 

“You want to get them into an opportunity to be as good a shape as possible, then live up to the moment. To just help them put their hand up and take the moment.”

Andrew’s responsibilities don’t end with Connor. He’s the guiding hand behind Tokyo 2020 sprint sensation Rohan Browning, women’s 100m charge Ella Connolly and Olympic debutant in the Long Jump Liam Adcock.

Connor had a challenging 2022 marred by injury, before winning the Australian title via a 39-centimetre personal best of 16.61m in 2023.

That same year, he placed fourth at the World University Games before winning the Pacific Games with a wind-assisted 16.85m leap in December.

A personal best of 16.82m in early 2024 moved him into the top-10 Australians of all-time, and his starts in Europe ahead of Paris 2024 have delivered jumps of 16.74m and 16.90m.

“The Olympic year itself, it’s exciting but stressful,” Connor said.

“When you’re younger and building up, you don’t know if you’re ever going to be ready, so I’m glad it’s come together and we’ve ended up here.”

Andrew is a three-time Olympian perhaps best known for his bronze medal performance at the 2001 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

Qualifying for the men’s triple jump gets underway on Wednesday, 7 August at Stade de France.

By Cody Lynch, Athletics Australia and Australian Olympic Committee
Posted 7/08/2024