Swimmer Bobby Finke Kept American 120 Year Streak Alive at Paris Olympics

Swimmer Bobby Finke Kept American Streak AlivePhoto byNBC Olympics

The United States has been a swimming powerhouse for decades. However, throughout these Paris Olympic games, there has been a lack of dominance in the pool. And yet Bobby Finke kept an American streak alive by sheer determination. It’s a streak that goes back to 1904 when the games first began to include swimming. In that year, Charles Daniels won gold medals in the 220 yard freestyle and the 440 yard event. That was the only year that yards were used.

From that time onward, there has not been a break in the U.S. men winning at least one individual gold medal in swimming. Charles Daniels set the precedent and the tradition continued for over one hundred years. Yet here in 2024 there was a real danger of the streak being broken. The last day of swimming competitions had come and no American man had yet won an individual gold medal.

And at this point Bobby Finke entered the chat. Finke was aware of the streak and that it was all on him to make sure that it continued.

“I like reading that stuff,” he said. “It motivates me inside.” It also, he admits, felt like someone parked a piano on his back for a race that needs no help to create misery. Asked if it was pressure or motivation, Finke laughed. “It was both,” he said.

And so with the weight of history bearing down on him, Finke dived into the pool to compete in a grueling 1500M swim. He got off to a hot start and around the 300M mark he was a body-length ahead of Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen. He held off the fierce competition and touched the wall first, keeping the amazing streak alive.

Swimmer Bobby Finke Kept American Streak Alive

And he set a new world record of 14:30.67 ending the mark held by China’s Sun Yang, a record that came with an asterisk. Yang was suspended for eight years in 2020. He had refused to cooperate with doping officials who visited his home in 2018.

As was mentioned over the weekend Australia and the U.S. were in a gold medal count battle. Finke’s win and the women’s 4×100 medley relay victory gave America the win in the gold-medal count against Australia. Oh and he also defended his gold medal win from the Tokyo Olympics.

The world has definitely caught up to the U.S. in the field of swimming. But that’s good because it will drive the sport to higher heights. But for now the streak is still intact and we can thank Bobby Finke for that.

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