Ryan Held, born June 27, 1995, in Springfield, Illinois, is an American freestyle swimmer specializing in sprint events. A 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, Held has established himself as a key figure in U.S. swimming.
He attended Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, where he was named Illinois State Swimmer of the Year in 2014. Held then competed for North Carolina State University, contributing to multiple relay victories and NCAA records.
His international career includes gold medals at both long-course and short-course World Championships, with multiple world records in short-course relay events. Held's personal bests include 21.50 seconds in the 50m freestyle and 47.39 seconds in the 100m freestyle (long course). As of 2024, he has qualified for his second Olympic Games in Paris, securing a spot on the 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Olympic Gold
Held began competing in Olympic gold at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he secured a spot on the 4x100 meter freestyle relay team. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Held made his international debut.
2016 Rio Olympics - 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Date: August 7, 2016
Time: 3:09.92 (Olympic Record)
Team Members: Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, Nathan Adrian
Held's Split: 47.73 seconds (3rd leg)
Held took over from Michael Phelps for the third leg, maintaining the lead put in place by his teammates. His strong performance helped win the gold medal for Team USA, marking his first and, to date, only Olympic gold.
World Championships Gold Medals
Long Course World Championships
| Year | Event | Time | Location |
| 2022 | 4x100m Freestyle Relay | 3:09.34 | Budapest, Hungary |
Short Course World Championships
| Year | Event | Time | Location |
| 2018 | 4x100m Freestyle Relay | 3:03.03 (WR) | Hangzhou, China |
| 2018 | 4x50m Mixed Freestyle Relay | 1:27.89 (WR) | Hangzhou, China |
| 2018 | 4x50m Freestyle Relay | 1:21.80 (WR) | Hangzhou, China |
| 2018 | 4x100m Medley Relay | 3:19.98 (AM) | Hangzhou, China |
| 2021 | 4x200m Freestyle Relay | 6:47.00 (NR) | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| 2021 | 4x50m Medley Relay | 1:30.51 (CR, AM) | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
NCAA
NCAA Championships Gold Medals:
| Year | Event | Time | Location |
| 2016 | 4x100-yard Freestyle Relay | Not available | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 2018 | 4x800-yard Freestyle Relay | 6:06.53 (NCAA, U.S., American Record) | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Personal Best Times
Long Course Meters
| Event | Time | Date | Location |
| 50m Freestyle | 21.50 | July 1, 2023 | USA Swimming Championships |
| 100m Freestyle | 47.39 | July 31, 2019 | U.S. Summer Nationals (U.S. Open record) |
Short Course Meters
| Event | Time | Date | Location |
| 50m Freestyle | 20.70 | December 19, 2021 | World Championships, Abu Dhabi |
| 100m Freestyle | 45.63 | December 21, 2021 | World Championships, Abu Dhabi |
FAQ's
A. Ryan Held is from Springfield, Illinois. He attended Christ the King Grade School and Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield, graduating in 2014.
A. Herbie Behm is Ryan Held’s coach.
A. Ryan Held’s height is 1.85m
A. Ryan Held was born on 27 June 1995 and is 29 years of age.
