‘Behind every successful athlete, there’s often a story of support and love.’ For Olympic swimmer Bobby Finke, this is particularly true. Fans are curious about who’s been cheering him on from the sidelines of his personal life. Professionally, Finke is thriving. At the 2024 trials, he qualified to represent his country in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyles. He’s aiming to defend his gold titles in the 800m and 1500m events. Finke even set an American record in the 800m with a time of 7:41.87. Beyond the records and medals, Finke’s heart also belongs to someone special. The two-time Olympic gold medalist isn’t just breaking records in the pool; he found love in the same waters.

Bobby’s girlfriend, Ellie Zweifel, has been a constant supporter of him since their days together at the University of Florida. While the world watches him chase gold, many wonder about the one who captured his heart outside the lanes. So what is the story of the woman behind the champion—the one who celebrates his victories and consoles his defeats?

Meet Bobby Finke’s girlfriend, Ellie Zweifel

The swimmer has been dating Zweifel for a long time, keeping their relationship mostly private other than their social media posts. After his second Olympic gold medal win, Ellie shared a post-victory photo on Instagram, captioned, “My whole ❤️.” Their story began on October 16, 2018, sparked by a mutual love for Finke’s sport. To mark their first anniversary, Finke shared his love on social media and thanked her for their time together.

Ellie Zweifel has been a steadfast supporter of Bobby Finke throughout his career. They met as student-athletes on the Gators swimming and diving team in Florida. Born in 2000 in Columbia, Missouri, to parents Clint Zweifel, a former Missouri State Treasurer, and Janice, a business owner in St. Louis, the leading lady of Finke’s life also has a sister named Selma Zweifel. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Ellie had been handling her university’s social media marketing, promotions, and basketball game broadcasts before she stepped into her later profession as an entertainment lawyer in California, L.A. However, the couple’s bond literally goes deeper than water because she herself has a few accolades to her name from her college days.

Finke’s girlfriend is a swimmer herself

A specialist in backstroke and breaststroke, Ellie Zweifel launched her swimming career at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, where she achieved remarkable success by winning two Missouri State championships. She played a key role in setting a state record in the 200m medley relay, contributing a split time of 26.62 seconds in the backstroke. Ranked as the #6 recruit in Missouri by collegeswimming.com, Zweifel’s impressive performances drew significant attention from college recruiters in Missouri, until the day came when she decided to shift her bases elsewhere.

The 200y medley relay state record holder of Missouri joined the University of Florida’s swim team in 2018, where she competed in the 50y and 100y backstrokes, along with 50y and 100y breaststroke competitions. She recorded times of 27.22 seconds in the 50y back and 56.01 seconds in the 100y back during the years ’18–’19. Zweifel was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2020 and 2021. After graduating from Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 2022, Zweifel retired from competitive swimming. She now works as an Investment Associate at Northern Trust Corporation while continuing to support Bobby Finke in his achievements.