Aug 3, 2024; Nanterre, France; Bobby Finke (USA) in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle preliminary heats during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Paris La Défense Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports PARIS — American iron-man Bobby Finke smashed the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle world record as he retained the Olympic gold medal in the event in a thrilling swim Sunday at the Paris pool.
Finke became the only U.S. male swimmer to win an individual gold medal in Paris.
After 30 lung-busting laps, Finke touched the wall in 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds at La Defense Arena, eclipsing Sun Yang’s 12-year-old world mark of 14:31.02 set at the London Games.
Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri took silver, 3.88 seconds behind Finke, with Daniel Wiffen, the 800-meter gold medalist, taking the bronze for Ireland.
Finke became the first male swimmer to go back-to-back in the grueling event since Australia’s Grant Hackett in 2000-04 and the first American since Mike Burton in 1968-72.
Three years after winning the 800- and 1,500-meter golds at the Tokyo Games, Finke marked his place among the titans of distance swimming with an aggressive swim that he led from start to finish.
He was a full body length ahead of Paltrinieri and Wiffen by the 300-meter mark.
Paltrinieri made a charge near the 600-meter mark and pulled up to Finke’s waist, but there was no stopping the American.
“I really wanted to get on top of the podium again, and I hear the anthem all over again like I did for the first time in Tokyo,” Finke said.
Ireland’s first men’s Olympic swimming champion, Wiffen had tipped a world record would be needed to take gold and hoped he would be the man.
It was Finke, though, producing something special to hold on for the world record and send the La Defense Arena crowd into hysteria.
Also, the United States’ 64-year unbeaten run in the men’s 4×100-meter medley was ended by China.
Amid deafening cheers at the converted rugby stadium, the 100-meter freestyle world record holder Pan Zhanle brought China home with an outrageous swim as he, Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun won in a time of 3 minutes, 27.46 seconds.
Caeleb Dressel and the Americans took silver, 0.55 seconds behind the Chinese, while a Leon Marchand-powered France grabbed the bronze.
The U.S. did not compete at the 1980 Moscow Games due to a boycott, but they had never been beaten in the men’s medley final dating to the inaugural event at the 1960 Rome Games.
Pan will take enormous credit for defeating them as he rocketed to the wall in 45.92 seconds. Qin, who swam the breaststroke leg, also was important with a sizzling time of 57.98 to upstage France’s four-gold hero Marchand.
In women’s competition, Sweden world record holder Sarah Sjostrom completed a remarkable freestyle sprint double by adding the women’s 50-meter gold to her 100-meter title in her fifth Games at the Paris Olympics.
Australia’s Meg Harris, a gold medalist in the 4x100m free relay, took the silver, and China’s Zhang Yufei secured the bronze for her fifth medal of the Games and ninth of her career.
“I never thought I would win two golds on my fifth Olympics. It’s unbelievable,” said Sjostrom, who will turn 31 later in August. “This is the peak of my career for sure.
“I’m definitely going to continue swimming for many years, but I mean, how can I top this ever?,” she asked.
The Swede smashed Hungarian Katinka Hosszu’s Olympic record in the semifinals, where she was the only swimmer under 24 seconds, as she went 23.66.
Sjostrom could not match that time in Sunday’s “splash and dash” at the La Defense Arena, touching the wall in 23.71 after the single length thrash down the pool and then raising two fingers in triumph.
Harris finished 0.26 behind her, the only other woman under 24 seconds, and Zhang was 0.49 off the Sjostrom’s pace.
Sjostrom, silver medalist in the 50 meters at Tokyo three years ago — and after breaking her elbow before those Games — now has six individual medals from the last three Olympics — three golds, two silvers and a bronze.
Meanwhile, Regan Smith finally earned a gold medal as the U.S. smashed its world record in the women’s 4×100 medley relay. Australia took the silver and China the bronze.
The U.S quartet of Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske touched out with a final time of 3 minutes, 49.63 seconds.
The previous record of 3:50.40 was set by the United States at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in July 2019.
Smith had won five silvers — three in this meet — and one bronze before finally landing the elusive gold.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
