U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke achieved a remarkable feat at the Olympics, claiming gold and setting a new world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle event. Competing in Nanterre, France, Finke established a narrow lead early in the race, a challenging contest that covers nearly a mile.
Finke faced stiff competition from Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, but in the final stretch, he surged ahead. He finished the race with a time of 14:30:67, winning by almost four seconds and breaking the previous world record held by Chinese swimmer Sun Yang from the 2012 London Olympics.
After the race, Finke expressed pride in achieving the world record, noting, “I could see I was half a body length to a body length in front of [the record] at times. I knew I was on that pace.” He described the final third of the race as particularly grueling, stating, “Toward the end it was starting to hurt a lot, especially that last 400 meters. But I knew it was going to hurt.”
Finke’s victory marks him as the first American male swimmer to win gold in an individual event at the Paris Olympics. With this win and a later victory in the women’s 4×100 meter medley relay, U.S. swimmers have now secured a total of eight gold medals in Paris.
Paltrinieri claimed the silver medal, while Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen took home the bronze. Three years prior, Finke made his mark by winning the same event at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first American swimmer to win the 1,500 meters since 1984.
In addition to his gold medal, Finke also earned a silver in the 800-meter freestyle at the Paris Games. As the Olympic swimming events conclude at La Defense arena, upcoming marathon swimming competitions will take place in the Seine River on Thursday and Friday.