American swimmer Bobby Finke chatted about breaking the world record in the men’s 1,500 meter freestyle race at the Paris Olympic Games, and coming home with two Olympic medals (a gold and a silver).
Byron Pulsifer once said: “Imagine, dream, and believe in yourself. With determination and belief, you will be surprised at what you accomplish.” This quote applies to Bobby Finke.
On winning two Olympic medals in Paris (a gold and a silver), Finke said, “It was a ton of fun. Getting a win was the first and foremost thing I wanted.”
Overcome with emotion (following his gold medal presentation on the podium), Finke stated, “I am so proud to be a part of this team. I love you all.”
Breaking the world record
On breaking the world record, Finke said, “That was something that was pretty much unexpected going into the meet. My whole focus going into the Olympics was trying to win, and times are always secondary. If you finish the race with a good time, then it’s a nice little blessing.”
“When I touched the wall, I wasn’t sure if I had broken the world record or not. When I got the world record, I was really excited. I was really happy about that,” he acknowledged.
His coach, Anthony Nesty, who is the U.S. Olympic Head Coach for the Men’s Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris was emotional over Finke’s gold medal win and his subsequent world record.
“Nesty is not an emotional coach but to see him moved to tears by my performance was really special,” Finke said.
Kind words for his competitor Gregorio Paltrinieri
Finke went on to praise his competitor, Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri for his performance at the Paris Olympic Games and for being both an “amazing person and obviously an amazing racer.”
“Greg is one of the legends when it comes to distance swimming,” Finke said. “Greg is still around and kicking, and it is pretty incredible.”
2024 Golden Goggle Awards
Finke shared that he is looking forward to attending the 2024 Golden Goggles later this year (on November 23rd), which will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Those will be exciting. I always enjoy that event,” he admitted. “Indy should be fun! I would say it’s a pretty good location for the awards this year.”
Meeting ‘Cookie Monster’ in Paris
A proud moment was meeting “Cookie Monster” himself (from “Sesame Street”) in Paris. “The Cookie Monster thing was pretty funny,” he admitted.
“We learned that the Cookie Monster puppet is operated by two people,” he revealed. “Just how they do it is insane and everything. That was so cool! All three of us couldn’t stop giggling. We enjoyed crumbling and crushing those cookies they gave us.”
In response, Cookie Monster posted on his social media page, “Me just won gold in chocolate chippie cookie eating competition! Going to reward myself by eating another cookie! #ParisOlympics”
Finke on training with Katie Ledecky
Under Coach Nesty, Finke is fortunate to train with such Olympic swimming superstars as Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel.
On training with Katie Ledecky, Finke said, “Katie is such an amazing racer, training partner, and person. She’s got it all, and she definitely helped me earn this world record, especially since we train together in practice.”
“I get to see her and how she tackles her sets in training. Katie is quite literally a beast. I am scared to train next to her each day,” he noted.
Hoping the 50 meter strokes will be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics lineup
Finke is hoping that the 50 meter strokes (butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke) get added to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, especially since that would allow more American swimmers to punch their tickets to the Olympics.
“The whole landscape of the sport is really changing, especially just because the depth of it is getting so immense worldwide,” he said.
Future plans
This weekend, Finke is looking forward to being a part of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing, New York. “That will be exciting,” he admitted.
Regarding his future plans, he shared, “The 2028 Olympic Games are definitely still in the cards. I do have the ambition to go to it. I would love to go to the home Olympics. It would be great to participate there; I have a lot of ambition for it. The only thing is that I need to take it year by year now, especially now that I am getting older.”
Personal life with a new puppy
In his personal life, he revealed that he and his girlfriend, Ellie adopted a puppy named “Phil,” a miniature poodle, who is named after the character Phil from “Modern Family.”
“Also, this October, my girlfriend and I will be celebrating six years together,” he said. “We started dating during my freshman year in college.”
Remembering Jon Urbanchek
Finke also took the time to pay his respects for the late Olympic and university swimming coach Jon Urbanchek, who passed away on May 9, 2024.
Finke remarked, “While I never really worked with Jon Urbanchek, he was always before my time, but I know he and Katie Ledecky and he and my coach, Anthony Nesty, were close too.”
“It was a pretty tough day when I heard the news of his passing. I wore his shirt, which said ‘Keep it moving’ the other day, and I’ve been wearing that shirt a lot in good memory of him,” he said.
“What Jon Urbanchek did for our sport was absolutely incredible, and it is something that needs to be cherished and celebrated,” he acknowledged.
“I wish I got to know him more, especially since I’ve only met him a few times. Urb had coached one of our practices, and we talked for a little bit after that. He was an incredible coach and person. Seeing the impact he had on everybody was just amazing,” Finke said.
“Jon Urbanchek gave so much support to the sport, and it was able to grow it and improve it. We definitely still see the effects, and we will be seeing them for a long time to come. He really transformed the sport, and he was just incredible,” Finke added.
Superpowers of choice
If Finke were to have any superpowers, they would be “teleportation, flying, and telekinesis.” “That would save me a lot of money on flights,” he said.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Finke said, “Being happy and feeling good in the sport. At the end of the day, that’s the most successful thing I can do, as long as I am happy and in a good mental space. Then, things will start coming.”
Fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, Finke expressed, “First and foremost, thank you for the support during the entire Olympics. Thanks for joining me on this journey!”
To learn more about Olympic gold medalist and world record holder swimmer Bobby Finke, follow him on Instagram.
