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Former University of Florida standout swimmer Bobby Finke won Team USA’s only individual men’s gold medal in world record fashion at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Finke, 24, won the 1,500-meter freestyle final by leading from the start and finished with a record time of 14:30.67, besting the world mark set by China’s Sun Yang in 2012 (14.31.02) by nearly a half a second. Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri took silver with a time of 14.34.55 and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen got bronze in 14.39.63.
Watching on repeat 🔁
pic.twitter.com/Ibgdg71zHq— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) August 4, 2024
Finke, who won the 800m and 1,500 three years ago in the Tokyo Summer Games, missed repeating in the 800 on Tuesday by finishing second for the silver medal. The 2023 UF graduate wasn’t going to leave France without a gold medal.
“I really wanted to get on top of the podium again and hear the anthem all over again like I did for the first time in Tokyo,” Finke said.
“He just said, ‘I might cry.'” 🥹
Bobby Finke talks about defending his 1500m gold medal and new world record! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/hYfKA4c4lv
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
Winning a silver medal Sunday was Caeleb Dressel, another Gator Great, in the men’s 4x100m Medley Relay. Dressel, 27, a star in the Tokyo and Rio Games, finished these Games with two relay golds and didn’t make the medal podium after finishing sixth in the 50m Freestyle and not qualifying for the finals in the 100m Butterfly.
UF has 39 other athletes competing in Paris representing 21 nations, and have totaled three gold, four silver, two bronze medals entering the second week of competition.
On Saturday, UF junior Josh Liendo won a silver medal in the men’s 100m Butterfly representing Canada and Gator grad Jasmine Moore finished third in the women’s triple jump to win a bronze medal, becoming the first U.S. woman to earn an Olympic triple jump medal.
Moore, the first U.S. woman to qualify for Olympic action in both the triple and long jump, will compete in the long jump Tuesday.
Last Monday, UF senior Emma Weyant won bronze in the women’s 400m IM, her second medal in the event, having earned silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
On Tuesday, Gator grad Kieran Smith won a silver as part of the men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.
