BETHEL (NEWS CENTER, Maine)-- Mainer Troy Murphy finished his first Olympic run Monday morning without a medal. While it was the outcome nobody in the close-knit community of Bethel wanted, his hometown still swelled with pride at the thought of one of their own competing on an international stage, the pinnacle of years of training and hard work.
Community members gathered at Ordway Dining Hall on the campus of Bethel's Gould Academy, Murphy's Alma Mater, to watch the 25-year-old athlete compete in the final round of men's moguls at 7am (9pm in South Korea) Monday morning. To everyone's disappointment, Murphy finished 17th, his score not high enough to get into the top 12 slots in which competitors would make a final run for the podium in the same morning.
Despite the bittersweet ending, supporters expressed how thrilled they were seeing how far Murphy had come. Bethel, Gould Academy, and Sunday River Ski Resort, where Murphy spent much of his time training, had all helped Murphy fundraise his efforts over the years which would eventually take him all the way to Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic games. While it took a village to help Murphy make it to the Olympics, all agree it was worth it and that the determination paid off.
"I had him fill out a sheet of paper and write his goals on it Freshman year," said Doug Horne, assistant freestyle and mogul coach to Murphy while attending Gould Academy. "He wrote down 'U.S. Team, Olympics.'"
Horne's eyes began to well up when he was asked what he would say to Murphy, "Couldn't be more proud."
