Ahmed Hafnaoui’s late removal from the event made the 800 m freestyle of the 2023 US Open Swimming quite effortless for Bobby Finke. The US bronze medalist in the 2023 World Swimming Championship had to face a tough challenge from the reigning world champion Ahmed previously. But even after that, the Greensboro swimming arena witnessed a different head-to-head clash in the event. 

This time, two collegiate students poured their hearts out to give Florida Gator Bobby Finke a tough challenge. The ultimate win went to one of those two college students- Charlie Clark from the Ohio State University. However, for Charlie, the US Open Swimming encounter is not his only success in recent times. 

Charlie Clark’s prowess in the US Open Swimming Championship 

After Indiana’s Ahmed Hafnaoui took a let omission, Charlie Clark and David Johnston decided to make the 800m freestyle event in the US Open a thriller. Since the beginning of the event, Johnston held the first position. However, that moved Bobby Finke into the second or third position. In the second half, Clark outclassed them all with a blistering speed. In the end, he clocked 7:50.49 compared to Bobby Finke’s 7:54.90. That shifted the Olympic champion into fourth position overall. 

In early 2023, Charlie Clark showed a glimpse of his swimming talent in the 2023 World Aquatics Championship in his national color. The OSU swimmer clocked 14:57.16 in the 1500m event that ultimately had positioned him at 11. 

Charlie Clark’s Ohio stint 

At OSU, Charlie Clark made it to the first Team All-Big Ten consecutively, in 2022 and 2023. In his junior season, the Ohio-born swimmer won the long course of 1650 m freestyle participating in the Big Ten Championship. At the Phillips 66 National Championship also, Clark made some admirable performances. The 1650 m event proved to be his forte in that championship as well. 

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However, before the US Open or Fukuoka World Championship this year, Clark experienced his first big event entry in his sophomore season. He created an impression out there in the open water for his national team. But before moving to the Buckeyes, Clark received his first Olympic trial invitation for the 2020 occasion. However, his events 800 and 1500m freestyle did not pan out expectedly. But his 2023 US Open Swimming Championship outing might fill up that vacancy. This time Clark defeated Bobby Finke, who clinched the top spot in both those events in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

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