Who Is Aaron Shackell? 21-Year-Old That Ended Robert Finke’s Paris Olympic Dream at US Swimming Trials

In a shocking turn of events the dreams of the two-time Olympics medalist, Robert Finke’s dreams have been shattered on the very first night of the U.S. Olympics Trials. A 21-year-old Indiana native made history in his hometown. Aaron Shackell from Indianapolis has clinched his ticket to Paris, dashing the hopes of 24-year-old Robert Finke. Timing 3:45.46 Aaron Shackell emerged victorious leaving behind Kieran Smith and Robert aka Bobby Finke. Finke finished in fourth position in 3:45.27.

As the crowd watched in anticipation of Shackell’s performance in the 400-meter freestyle, he could be spotted steadily pulling away from Finke, the reigning champion known for his unbeatable endurance and powerful finishes. This remarkable feat not only marks a new chapter in Shackell’s burgeoning career but also sets the stage for a thrilling Olympic showdown in Paris.

After winning the Men’s 400-meter freestyle in the U.S. Olympics Trials at the Lucas Oil Stadium Shackell shared how it felt for him to win before such a huge crowd in his hometown. “I always grew up watching football, basketball and I always wanted to swim in front of a huge crowd. And I got my boys over here from Carmel that helped me this whole semester. So honestly, I couldn’t have done without them. And obviously all of Indianapolis supported me”, shared the swimmer from Carmel Swim Club.

Besides this, with the ticket to Paris, he would also make his father, who has been an Olympian himself, proud. Aaron shared how he has waited for this win “since like kindergarten.” Narrating how he has been working hard for this very moment, Aaron Shackell shared, “Ever since I learned my dad was an Olympian, I always wanted to be an Olympian myself. It wasn’t always easy.” He further continued, “For a long time, I wasn’t very good at swimming and I almost didn’t like it until a few years ago. People on that heat inspired me to go faster and work as hard as I could. And now I’m swimming with the best of them going to Paris. So it’s unbelievable to be honest.”

Aaron Shackell’s stunning win and Olympic qualification in Indianapolis marks proud homecoming moment

The Lucas Oil Stadium is full with 20,689 pairs of eyes waiting to witness history. And according to reports this has been the largest crowd ever for an Indoor swimming competition for the USA. And making the Indianapolis crowd’s hearts smile, Shackell managed to win over Olympic medalists Robert ‘Bobby’ Finke and Kieran Smith. 

A few months ago, Shackell’s coach Dave Durden shared with SwimSwam that Aaron would return to his home club to collect an Olympic Redshirt. Durden, waiting for this day, also added, “As we are seven months away from Olympic trials and to lessen some of collegiate challenges as a freshman, we decided being at home and at Carmel would be the most familiar environment for him and his family.” And in that very same town of Indianapolis Shackell created his own personal best record in the 400-meter freestyle. 

In the U.S. Olympics Trials this Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, it wasn’t just Aaron Shackell who performed to make Carmel proud. Alongside him, Aaron’s own sister Alex Shackell too qualified to perform for the U.S. Olympics Trials. However, with a stunning performance, Aaron Shackell has snatched not only the limelight but also a ticket to Paris. His proud sibling hugged and congratulated the win of her young brother in the pool deck immediately after the victory. Now, all eyes will be set on the youngster. As fans would wait to witness the rise of a new legend on the global stage.