- Bobby Finke seeks to extend his two gold medals this summer in Paris
- The swimmer sat down with Mail Sport at the Team USA Media Summit.
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
Before Bobby Finke hit the water in Tokyo for the 800m freestyle, the American swimmer had a relatively modest barometer for his own individual success.
Reaching the final was the initial goal. Medals, a bonus. Gold? Inconceivable.
With two Olympic gold medals (the other in the 1,500m) and a subsequent world championship, Finke’s expectations have risen emphatically, and he arrives this summer (starting with the US trials) with a swagger to match his resume in constant growth.
“I know I belong there,” he told Mail Sport exclusively at the Team USA Media Summit, 100 days away from the Paris Olympics. “Because I have the credentials to be in that race with people.”
‘I’m here. “I’m not leaving anytime soon,” she added. “I’m coming exactly the same way and you guys are just going to have to deal with it.”
Bobby Finke arrives in Paris with a different goal after winning two golds in Tokyo
Finke poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the men’s 1,500m freestyle final
Finke went from relative unknown to two-time gold medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics
Speaking about the 1,500 meters in Tokyo, he continued: ‘The second test was a little different. Because at that point he had already won one. And going into that race, I was pretty confident that if I stayed with my competitors, I could win again.”
That mentality has carried over into preparations for this summer’s Olympics, for which Finke will try to qualify through the US trials in June. If she is successful, she will travel more in and out of the water to France than she did three years ago.
When he won the 800m and 1500m freestyle in 2021, Finke was still a student at the University of Florida and had never left the country for a trip other than swimming.
Both facts have now changed, as he graduated in December 2023 and enjoyed a holiday in Italy after last year’s World Cup in Fukuoka.
He also won gold at the 2022 world championships in Budapest in the 800m, along with a silver in the 1,500m, and added a silver and bronze to his collection in 2023.
The weight he carries on his shoulders is greater heading into this summer, but the approach is precisely the same.
“To potentially wear that to Paris… it’s a badge of honor,” he said, speaking at Ralph Lauren’s latest collection for Team USA. But also the best thing I know how to do is compete with people. And that’s really the only thing I’ll be thinking about at the end of the day.
Finke, of course, has a long way to go to sniff out the accomplishments of American men’s swimming legends Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
The pair accumulated 28 and 12 medals respectively and are considered the titans of American men’s swimming.
Finke is seen competing in the men’s 800m freestyle final at the TYR Pro Swim Series on April 13.
Finke credited Michael Phelps (left) and Ryan Lochte for “paving the way” for swimming.
But Lochte is not so untouchable in real life.
Finke still sometimes sees the Gainesville resident on the UF campus, a reminder of the impact he and Phelps had on the sport.
“They’ve really paved the way not just for Americans but for the entire world, like a lot of other countries are really getting into the sport of swimming,” Finke said.
“You know, we call it ‘nadaflation’ because everything is getting so much faster now.”
As Finke surveys the competition this summer, that may well be true.
Now, however, his goal is to lead that group.