On day two of competition, the first day Murphy competed, in the prelims of the 100-meter backstroke Murphy swam a 53.22 and tied in overall ranking for seventh with Russian Evgeny Rylov. In the semifinals the following day, Murphy swam the fastest in both semifinals heats with a time of 52.24 and advanced to the final. He swam a 52.19 in the final and won the bronze medal.