Bobby Finke waited through a year of uncertainty because of the coronavirus to secure his spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.
Better still, the former Countryside standout did it as the first-ever American representative in the 800 meter freestyle, which makes its debut as an event at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Surging ahead out of blocks, Finke never relinquished his lead, winning the 800 free in 7 minutes, 48.22 seconds at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
When the pandemic closed pools last year, Finke made due by swimming open water practice sessions in Tampa Bay.
He entered the Olympics Trials with the top seed in the 800 and finished second in the preliminaries.
And to think the 800 is not Finke’s best event.
His specialty is the 1,500 freestyle. The University of Florida junior has the top seed in his signature event, which caps off the final night of the Olympic Trials on Sunday.
