In a stunning display of endurance and speed, Bobby Finke of the USA shattered the world record while defending his Olympic title in the men’s 1,500m freestyle, with Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri claiming silver and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen securing bronze.
Finke, who led from the outset of Sunday’s race at the Paris Olympics, set a blistering new world mark of 14 minutes 30.67 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 14:31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang at the London Olympics in 2012.
The American asserted his dominance early on, establishing a commanding lead in the opening laps and maintaining his pace throughout the grueling event.
Paltrinieri, the gold medallist in Rio 2016, mounted a formidable challenge around the 850-meter mark, swimming at a record-breaking tempo. However, Finke had strategically conserved energy for the final laps, ultimately touching the wall 3.88 seconds ahead of the Italian.
Wiffen, who had previously clinched gold in the 800m freestyle ahead of Finke, predicted before the race that a world record time would be necessary to secure victory. Despite his efforts, he finished 8.96 seconds behind the record-breaking American.
Meanwhile, Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden capped off the final night of swimming with her second gold medal of the Paris Olympics, dominating the 50m freestyle event. Racing with ferocity, the 30-year-old Sjostrom clocked 23.71 seconds, narrowly missing her own world record of 23.61 set at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
In a race typically decided by milliseconds, Sjostrom displayed unmatched speed, leading from start to finish. Meg Harris of Australia secured silver with a time of 23.97 seconds, while China’s Zhang Yufei took bronze in 24.20 seconds.
As the Paris Olympics swimming events concluded, Bobby Finke’s record-breaking performance and Sarah Sjostrom’s dominant victory underscored the exceptional athleticism on display in the pool.
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