Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Bobby Finke Blasts 800 Free American Record During Prelims
It didn’t take long for the Olympic debut of the 800-meter freestyle to provide some fireworks.
In the fourth heat of the event’s prelims, Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla. Saint Petersburg Aquatics/University of Florida) threw down a 7:42.72 to win his heat and capture a new American record.
“I had no idea where I was,” Finke said of his relation to the clock. “I knew I was doing pretty good because I was still with Florian (Wellbrock) and Mykhailo (Romanchuk), so I knew I was going pretty good and I’m excited.”
The time bested Michael McBroom’s previous record of 7:43.60 (set at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona) by nearly a full second and is seven-and-a-half seconds faster than any time by an American in 2019 international competitions.
Compared to previous personal times, Finke’s time is five-and-a-half seconds faster than his time at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and 4.86 seconds faster than his previous personal best. His previous best time came at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships. Since his swim at Nationals, He had not cracked the 7:48 mark until today.
He will enter the event’s final as the third seed behind Ukraine’s Romanchuck and Germany’s Wellbrock, who posted a 7:41.28 and 7:41.77, respectively. Behind Finke is a three-second drop-off to the fourth seed.
Already with an American record on the Olympic stage, and now with his name in medal conversation, Finke is making the most out of the Olympic addition of the 800m freestyle.
In the fourth heat of the event’s prelims, Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla. Saint Petersburg Aquatics/University of Florida) threw down a 7:42.72 to win his heat and capture a new American record.
“I had no idea where I was,” Finke said of his relation to the clock. “I knew I was doing pretty good because I was still with Florian (Wellbrock) and Mykhailo (Romanchuk), so I knew I was going pretty good and I’m excited.”
The time bested Michael McBroom’s previous record of 7:43.60 (set at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona) by nearly a full second and is seven-and-a-half seconds faster than any time by an American in 2019 international competitions.
Compared to previous personal times, Finke’s time is five-and-a-half seconds faster than his time at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and 4.86 seconds faster than his previous personal best. His previous best time came at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships. Since his swim at Nationals, He had not cracked the 7:48 mark until today.
He will enter the event’s final as the third seed behind Ukraine’s Romanchuck and Germany’s Wellbrock, who posted a 7:41.28 and 7:41.77, respectively. Behind Finke is a three-second drop-off to the fourth seed.
Already with an American record on the Olympic stage, and now with his name in medal conversation, Finke is making the most out of the Olympic addition of the 800m freestyle.