Clearwater Swimmer Wins Olympic Gold With Nail-Biting Finish

CLEARWATER, FL — For the second time in less than a week, a Pinellas County athlete will bring home a gold medal from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

On Wednesday, Clearwater's Bobby Finke won the gold medal for the men's 800-meter freestyle final with a teeth-gnashing finish, beating out Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri (silver) by just .024 seconds and winning with a time of 7 minutes, 41.87 seconds.

Finke is the first American male swimmer to win gold in an Olympic distance race since 1984.

In an interview following the presentation of his medal, the 21-year-old University of Florida student said he surprised even himself.

"I honestly did not expect to win. At all," he said. "Let alone medal."

Finke also surprised the oddsmakers who had him pinned as an underdog.

He arrived in Tokyo with the 12th-best qualifying time in the 800-meter freestyle, an event which hasn't been held at the Olympics since 1904.

Paltrinieri was the favorite to win, and it looked as if he would until Finke kicked it into gear with 100 meters to go, going from fifth to first place.

“I noticed 10 meters out I was catching up a little bit of ground and that was the only motivation I needed to try and pass and get my hand to the wall first,” Finke said.

Finke credits his parents and coaches with his success.

His mom, Jeanne, a competitive swimmer at Ball State University, taught her son to swim before he could walk. By the time he was 5 years old, he was competing in his first race.

His dad, Joe, is one of his swim coaches at St Petersburg Aquatics along with Coach Fred Lewis.

Finke also credits his older sisters, Autumn and Summer, with giving him his competitive edge. He said they challenged him to races throughout his childhood. Both sisters went on to swim competitively at UF as well.

"We're all super competitive and were all just racing each other all the time," Finke said.

Finke was also on the swim team at Countryside High School in Clearwater, and is the second Olympian from Countryside to win gold.

Countryside graduate Melanie Margalis won a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the 4x200m freestyle.

On Sunday, 18-year-old Largo resident Anastasija Zolotic, who lives just a few miles from the home where Finke grew up, walked away with an Olympic gold medal, the first American woman to win gold in the sport of taekwondo.

See related story: Largo Resident 1st Woman In U.S. To Win Gold In Taekwondo