"Finke's 1500m World Record Highlights U.S. Success at Paris Olympics" strong

PARIS — The centuries-old chain began at a man-made lake in St. Louis, then spanned the globe. Since 1904, in every Olympics the United States has entered, American male swimmers have won an individual gold medal. This trend was at its peak in the 1920s and 70s. This included the sweep in 1948. It survived the ups and downs of the 1980s and 90s. It roared back into the 21st century, until at the 2024 Games, it teetered on the brink of collapse.

But in the last of 14 men’s individual events at Paris’ La Défense Arena, Bobby Finke swooped in to rescue him with the world record.

Finke won the 1500m freestyle on Sunday, avenging a loss in the 800m earlier in the week. He sped ahead of the field in the first 300 meters, then held off the chasing pack in the middle half of the race. He pushed far ahead of Italy’s Gregorio Paltrineri over the final 500, and reached the wall in 14:30.67, just under the previous 12-year-old record of 14:31.02.

"Finke's 1500m World Record — The Louvre Watermark Bastille Day Instagram Post – 1

And it ensured that the streak would survive for at least another four years.

It sank into the 2024 Olympics for the better part of nine dismal days. USA Swimming sent 26 male athletes to this temporary pool west of Paris. And heading into Sunday, no one claimed sleep. Eight of the 13 individual events finished without an American in the top three. Two finished without an American in the final. Others secured the eighth position.

There were flops in the preliminary heats and semi-finals. A high profile was lacking. But even more, there was a steady stream of less spectacular performances. The decline of U.S. men’s swimming — or, perhaps, the stagnation of the U.S. program and the progress of others around the world — was a topic of conversation for weeks, months, maybe years to come.

But Finke silenced those conversations, moved Team USA to the top of swimming’s medal count, and spared the American men some embarrassment.

Beyond that streak, there was still plenty of good American swimming at those Olympics. American stars combined to score dozens of medals for Team USA. The U.S. women won four individual gold medals in the pool. Relay also won. As a team, they proved that America is the deepest swimming nation in the world.

U.S. Success at Paris Olympics" — The Louvre Watermark Bastille Day Instagram Post – 1

He had struggled, though, to reach the top step of the podium. Nick Fink’s brilliant swim in the 100 breaststroke final earned him a silver medal. Carson Foster, Ryan Murphy and Luke Hobson took bronze.

On the women’s side, the Americans were let down by a few megastars. Regan Smith, Kate Douglas, Tori Huske, Gretchen Walsh and Katie Grimes had the strongest encounters. But in six separate finals, she lost, often narrowly, to Canada’s Summer McIntosh, Australia’s Kelly McKeon or Sweden’s Sarah Systrom. He left with his head up.

Men, on the other hand, had struggled. Caeleb Dressel, after a few years, could not defend any of his three individual gold medals. Ryan Murphy fell short of expectations. The first-time Olympians were overwhelmed. Chase Callies, the defending Olympic champion in the 400-meter individual medley, didn’t even make it back to the final (though he had little hope of overtaking Leon Marchand).

Before Sunday, Finke was part of that long list. He was deposed in 800 by Daniel Wiffin of Ireland. He was alive, thriving on how difficult it is to defend an Olympic title—and how deep the field of international competitors is now.