Beyond The High Tide Of Rio 2016, Where Will The Flow Further Americans In 2017?

Team USA – what next?

The way 2016 unfolded for the Stars & Stripes, the United States could not have scripted a better season. As the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro beckoned, America’s No. 1 status in the sport was supposed to be challenged, Australia leading the coup attempt. When the eight days of action in South America came to an end, there was the United States in a familiar position: On top.

With a 33-medal haul that included 16 golds, and victories in five of the six relays, Team USA packaged its finest Olympiad since the 2000 Games in Sydney. There was Michael Phelps wrapping up his illustrious career, his final medal count sitting at 28 overall and 23 of the golden variety. There was Katie Ledecky’s tour-de-force performance, a 200-400-800 freestyle triple making her only the second athlete to capture a trio of Olympic freestyle crowns in a single Games. There were breakout performances by Ryan Murphy and Simone Manuel, among others, efforts that made it clear the future is in capable hands.

So, what does the next 12 months hold for the sport’s superpower? Certainly, the United States moves into 2017 with a good deal of momentum and, as always, considerable depth generating greater power. Here’s a look at a few of the storylines to watch in the coming year.

Ryan Murphy: Primed to Lead

He has a little more work left in the collegiate ranks, career sweeps of the backstroke events within reach for the University of California-Berkeley star. But Ryan Murphy also has some bigger duties ahead in what will undoubtedly be a Hall of Fame career, including the role of Team USA leader for the three-time Olympic champion.

The 2016 season could not have unfolded any better for Murphy, long tabbed as a future star in the American arsenal. Not only did he leave the Olympic Games in Rio with three gold medals, he notched the first world record of his career on the leadoff leg of the United States’ curtain-closing 400 medley relay. The scary thing: Murphy is just getting started in terms of what he can achieve on the global stage.

Ryan Murphy – by Patrick B. Kraemer

There will be a time and place to assess the speed at which Murphy might one day move through the water. Let’s put it this way: His best days are ahead, additional world records a matter of when and where. In the meantime, Murphy is in position to shift into a Head Man role for the United States, such is his talent level and the way he carries himself.

With Michael Phelps having bid farewell with a stash of 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, and Ryan Lochte in a state of flux, there is an opening for the next American male to step forward as a …

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