Bobby Finke sets world record, wins gold in 1500-meter freestyle

NANTERRE, France — Bobby Finke saved Team USA from notoriety with a world-record swim and an Olympic gold medal on the final day of the swimming portion of the Paris Games.

He took gold in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle for the second consecutive Olympics. His time of 14:30.67 set a new world record in the men’s 1500 free.

Finke earned a silver medal earlier this week in the men’s 800 free.

BACK-TO-BACK BOBBY. 🇺🇸🥇

Bobby Finke successfully defends gold and sets a new WORLD RECORD in the men’s 1500m free! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/twiA6dVVjL

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024

Finke’s win was the only one for an American man in an individual event at these Olympics. If he’d come up short, it would have been the first time since 1900 that the U.S. men did not win an individual swimming gold at the Olympics, excluding the 1980 boycotted Games.

This story will be updated.

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(Photo: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images)