Karen Murphy (bowls)

Karen Anne Murphy AM (born 18 December 1974) is an Australian international lawn bowler and indoor bowler.^[1]

Karen Murphy

Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1974-12-18) 18 December 1974 (age 50) Kiama, Australia
Medal record Representing  Australia World Outdoor Championships 2000 Moama pairs 2000 Moama singles 2004 Leamington Spa pairs 2008 Christchurch fours 2008 Christchurch pairs 2012 Adelaide singles 2012 Adelaide triples 2016 Christchurch singles Commonwealth Games 1998 Kuala Lumpur fours 2002 Manchester singles 2006 Melbourne pairs 2014 Glasgow triples World Indoor Bowls Championships 2011 Yarmouth singles 2012 Yarmouth singles Asia Pacific Bowls Championships 1997 Warilla triples 1997 Warilla fours 1999 Kuala Lumpur pairs 2001 Melbourne fours 2003 Brisbane singles 2005 Melbourne pairs 2007 Christchurch pairs 2007 Christchurch singles 2009 Kuala Lumpur pairs 2011 Adelaide fours 2011 Adelaide pairs 2015 Christchurch singles 2015 Christchurch pairs

Bowls career

World championships

After winning pairs silver and singles bronze in Moama in 2000^[2] and pairs bronze in 2004, Murphy went on to win World Championship golds. Murphy won the 2008 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in the fours, 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in the triples and twice in the singles at the 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship and the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship.^[3] She successfully defended her title in the singles at the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch after defeating Lesley Doig in the final.^[4] This achievement is generally agreed to have elevated her to being the best female bowler since Margaret Johnston.^[5]

Commonwealth Games

She has won gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the pairs. In addition she has won three Commonwealth Games silver medals,^[6] the most recent being in the Women's triples at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.^[7]

Asia Pacific Championships

She has won a remarkable 13 medals at the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships, of which no less than eight have been gold in colour.^[8]

Nationals

In 2023, Murphy won the Australian National Bowls Championships fours title with Jamie-Lee Worsnop, Ellen Falkner and Ellen Ryan,^[9] to add to her three Australian Open titles.

Indoors

In 2012, she also won the World Indoor Bowls Championship title, a fine achievement bearing in mind that she does not compete every year in the event held in England.

Awards

She has also been a guest commentator during the World Indoor Bowls Championships for the BBC. She was a Director for World Bowls from 2014-2018.

Murphy was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2021 Australia Day Honours, for "For significant service to lawn bowls as an elite player at the international level."^[10]

In 2024, she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.^[11]