American Bobby Finke defends Olympic gold in swimming's 1,500 meters, breaking the world record.
France's Nanterre Bobby Finke had no intention of breaking the world record in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle final. Additionally, the 24-year-old American swimmer had no intention of taking it out quickly. He was aware that he was Team USA's only opportunity to win a gold medal in the men's individual Olympic competition at the Paris Games, therefore he decided to defend his title from the Tokyo Games in 2021. With the exception of the 1980 boycotted Games, it would have been the first time since 1900 that American men had exited the Olympics without winning an individual swimming gold medal. Really, I'm just thrilled that I won, Finke remarked. "I was under a lot of pressure before the race." In the longest race in the pool, the two-time Olympian immediately took the lead on the opening lap and never gave it up, capturing his second 1,500 free Olympic gold and creating a world record in the process. "A few times, I could see the world record line ...