The United States of America continues to have an incredibly strong presence in the Olympic pool. While their dominance in swimming momentarily slipped out of their grip during the 1980 Moscow Games, they pulled the reigns in. However, it nearly slipped away this time at the recently concluded Paris Olympics. That was until Bobby Finke swooped in to save the day. His 1500m victory on August 4 kept their winning streak intact in the French capital. 

But days earlier, he couldn’t defend his 800m Olympic title and settled for silver instead. While fans were shattered, his Irish rival, Dan Wiffen, was not too surprised by the outcome. In a casual, sit-down interview on the August 25th episode of Inside with Brett Hawke, the 23-year-old revealed how he was expecting the Olympian to do things differently this time. “I’ll be honest, I expected him to change his race plan from the 800 because he’s been doing that race plan for, I don’t know, is that like three years now since he’s been doing the same last 50 speed because it was working.” The Tokyo gold medalist is known for coming for the win from behind. 

This time around, that strategy didn’t seem to work for him. The American wasn’t too coy about clinching yet another gold. The Irish swimmer exclaimed, “I think he said in loads of podcast that he said that he was the man to beat.” The Olympian’s claim backfired on him. How? “Everybody was changing how they trained to be fast in the last 50. He couldn’t really do it anymore. So then I thought it was a great tactical change to go out a bit faster.” Finke’s bold claim might not have worked in his favor, but someone else surely benefited from it!

During the much-awaited 800m event, Finke and Wiffen locked heads in the Olympic pool. Even though the American started strong, halfway through the race, the bespectacled Irish swimmer pushed through to the front. Much to Finke’s dismay, he held on to that lead till the very end, clinching the nation’s first Olympic gold in 7:38:19. The 23-year-old had brushed off a little over three seconds from the previous Olympic record. Finke trailed behind him in 7:38:75, going from being the hunter to the hunted. 

However, the Irish swimmer recalls that this didn’t come easy to him. “We’ve been playing around with a lot this season with the last 50 speed.” His American rival often picks up his pace during the last 50 for an effortless win. “Some people can go to the legs, and I would say that I’m not very leg-driven.” The 23-year-old opened up about how using his legs doesn’t necessarily help him go any faster. They had to find a way for him to pick up his speed in training.

Bobby Finke was Team USA’s saving grace in Paris

Even though Bobby Finke missed out on a shiny gold in the 800m event, he stepped into the 1500m final with renewed vigor. Team USA’s victory run at the Olympics was well over a century ago. However, many had to wait 8 arduous days for yet another win, and the Olympian ensured them a thrilling show. To no one’s surprise, the 24-year-old picked up an early lead. However, unlike the 800m event, he didn’t lose control this time around.

With his sights set on a much-needed win, the Olympian kept going, increasing his lead with each stroke. Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri was hot on heels, but he was no match for the 2020 Tokyo 800m gold medalist. In a world record time of 14:30:67, he had done it! For the second time in a row, he had claimed an Olympic gold medal in the event. With 14:34:55, Paltrinieri settled for a silver medal, while Wiffen completed the podium with 14:39:63 on the clock. Bobby Finke’s medal was Team USA’s 8th gold at the Paris Olympics. What did you think of Wiffen’s revelation? Let us know about that.