Bobby Finke Seeking to Continue Winning Ways in Distance Races in Singapore
His two Olympic gold medals in Tokyo, both achieved in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion, cemented Bobby Finke as a legendary figure in distance freestyle. Count out Finke at your own risk, just like Florian Wellbrock, Mykhailo Romanchuk and Gregorio Paltrinieri did in the inaugural Olympic final of the 800 freestyle four years ago.
Since then, his competitors have adjusted their strategies to build enough of a lead that Finke cannot pull a miracle or save something in reserve for the closing sprint. Those strategies worked in successive World Championship finals of the 1500 free, first when Paltrinieri pulled an outside-lane upset win in 2022 and then in 2023 when Ahmed Hafnaoui went stroke-for-stroke with Finke and survived by five hundredths.
On both those occasions, it took the second-fastest time in history to defeat Finke, so the American left no doubt in the Paris Olympic final. He had already won silver in the 800 free, and Ireland’s Dan Wiffen was a slight favorite to complete the distance double. So Finke decided to blast ahead in the opening strokes and never look back. He maintained a vicious pace that was swift enough to knock off Sun Yang’s 12-year-old world record in the event.
Now, Finke is preparing to race at his fourth World Championships, having previously appeared at the meet in 2017, 2022 and 2023. He was just 17 years old at his first meet, aiming to fill a void left by the retirement of Connor Jaeger in the distance events but failing to qualify for any finals. Since then, Finke has reached the podium in every event he has raced at major competitions, and after joining Mike Burton as the only Americans to win back-to-back golds in the 1500 free, he has a case to be considered the top American male distance swimmer ever.
Bobby Finke — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
As to whether Finke can pull off his magic again in Singapore, the times do not tell the full story. Finke consistently raises his level when facing tougher competition internationally, often with enormous drops compared to his times at selection meets. The same feat will be necessary this year: Finke’s 800-meter best of 7:43.13 ranks him sixth in the world while his 14:48.65 in the 1500 free is good for fifth.
Currently, Germany is dominant in the world rankings in the distance races. Wellbrock, Sven Schwarz and Oliver Klemet are the world’s top-three swimmers in the 1500 free, with only those three having gone sub-14:40 this year while Schwarz, Lukas Martens, Wellbrock and Klemet rank first, second, fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 800 free.
Wiffen has also eclipsed Finke’s best times in both distances this year while Australia’s Sam Short is poised for a rebound after he won the world title in the 400 free plus medals in the 800 and 1500 at the 2023 Worlds. David Betlehem placed fourth in the 1500 in Paris, just over a second off the podium. Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi was the short course world champion in the 1500 free last year while 17-year-old Turkish swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli lowered the world junior record in the Olympic final and has been dominant on the junior level since. Paltrinieri can never be discounted either.
No placements are guaranteed, but Finke’s track record suggests he will be in contention when the medals are decided in the 800 and 1500, and his Paris world record makes him the slight favorite in the 30-lap race. His relatively pedestrian time at Nationals can be chalked up to a lack of competition, with Finke slowing dramatically after pushing the pace too hard in the early going.
But Finke also showed at Nationals that his exceptional finishing speed remains as powerful as ever. Just as Carson Foster, who Finke overtook in the closing strokes to win the 400 IM title. Finke will not race the medley at the World Championships, having opted out of the event scheduled for the same day as the 1500 free. Lucky for the world’s best IMers, as Finke’s time of 4:07.46 ranks second in the world, and he notched a win over Leon Marchand in the event earlier this year.
When it comes to the pre-meet status quo in the distance races, the world rankings mean little. Finke is still the man to beat in the 30-lap race.
