Florida Man Sets 1,500 Freestyle World Record on Final Night of Olympic Swimming
We do so many Florida Man stories here, it’s nice to do a good one. Just one, then we’ll get back to stories like “Florida Mom Drove A Screw Into Daughter’s Rear End“. I promise. A Clearwater, Florida man just set a world record on his final night of Olympic swimming. Talk about a closer. Nice work!
World Record Time
Bobby Finke, who graduated from Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida, set a world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle Sunday. He finished the 1,500 in 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds. That was good enough to break the world record of 14.31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang at the 2012 London Games. The second place silver went to Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri nearly 4 seconds behind at 14.34.55. The bronze medal went to Daniel Wiffen of Ireland with a time of 14:39.63.
Who is Bobby Finke?
Bobby Finke’s swimming prowess is no fluke. His mother is Jeanne Finke who is also a swimmer having competed for Ball State. His dad, Joe Finke, is a coach at Saint Petersburg Aquatics. Finke has 2 older sisters, Autumn Skye and Ariel Summer. Both are also swimmers who have competed at the collegiate and national levels.
Along with being on his high school team, Bobby also swam for St. Petersburg Aquatics. Going into college, Finke had already achieved much success. He was ranked the No. 18-ranked recruit overall, and No. 1 swimmer in the state of Florida going into the 2018 school year.
Finke then attended the University of Florida In Gainesville from 2018 to 2022. Along with winning just about everything possible in college, Finke also attended the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. According to his wikipedia page “Finke won the gold in the men’s 800m freestyle, setting a new American record with a time of 7:41.87.[9] He also placed first in the men’s 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:39:65,[10] making him the first American man to win the event since 1984.”
Another Medal WINNING Performance
Along with his world record time in the 1,500 meter freestyle in the 2024 Olympics, Finke finished second in the Men’s 800m freestyle, winning an Olympic Silver Medal.
Olympic Preview From A Southwest Floridian In Paris
I just returned from the City Of Love. Also referred to as The City Of Lights, it is always a fascinating place to visit. However, it was especially so this time as the stage was being set for the biggest sporting event in the world. Here is an Olympic preview from a Southwest Floridian in Paris.
One of the first things I noticed was how the city seemed to embrace the Olympic spirit with art installations and Olympic inspired touches almost everywhere you turned. There were silhouettes of athletes in their respective sport in gardens and traffic circles.
Famous monuments and iconic sites were adorned with the Olympic Rings or similar abstract art in the corresponding colors. Walking and driving around the city all kinds of new things have popped up like temporary housing made from shipping containers.
Unfortunately, many must see areas were blocked off. For example, a portion of the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. See the photo below. Look at the huge stadium seating erected for beach volleyball.
I got the bird’s eye view of the volleyball venue when we arrived for dinner at the Michelin starred Le Jules Verne restaurant. It was a WOW experience that we booked months ago for a friend’s milestone birthday celebration. Click here for a video.
More From A Southwest Floridian in Paris
I was actually in Paris twice this month. We landed July 3rd and I left the city on the 7th. One week later I returned for Bastille Day and what a difference a week made.
Taxi and Uber drivers were bemoaning the traffic as more and more lanes were restricted, rerouted and closed for official Olympic traffic.
Even some of the metro entrances were blocked. I realize it was because of the big presentation and fireworks for Bastille Day. But it’s also what visitors are going to experience at times for the summer games. It was tedious and frustrating to say the least.
One evening I met up with some Parisian colleagues at a local wine bar and was somewhat surprised at the stories they told. They mirrored the summer restaurant woes of Southwest Florida.
The owners told me business had been dreadfully slow this summer. Tourists were staying away from Paris because of the Olympics and the challenges I mentioned above. They want to experience the city unrestricted.
The crowds did seem smaller along the famous Champs Elysees, which I did not mind at all. Despite not being able to see and reach certain areas in the city, in spite of the traffic, it was a very exciting time to be there. I envisioned opening ceremonies as I walked along the Seine, could almost hear the cheers from the vacant stadiums and arenas we passed.
I can’t imagine any city is ever 100% ready for an event of this magnitude. There will always be complaints and things that go wrong. However, Paris was looking pretty good, and I can’t wait to see the summer games played out in this historic city.
Photos And Olympic Preview From A Southwest Floridian In Paris
