Bobby Finke shattered the 1,500m freestyle world record on the final day of swimming at the Paris Olympics, successfully defending his gold medal.
The American stayed below the world-record pace throughout the entire race and finished the race in an outstanding 14 minutes 30.67 seconds, beating Chinese swimmer Yang Sun's time of 14:31.02 from London 2012.
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His triumph also ensured a 124-year record stayed intact for the United States, continuing their run of having an individual male swimming champion at the Olympic Games.
Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri finished in second, while race-favourite Daniel Wiffen of Ireland earned a bronze, failing to secure a second gold after winning the 800m freestyle on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old became the first athlete from Team Ireland to win more than one medal in the Games in 28 years, bringing their tally up to six medals, equalling their best-ever haul from 2012.
#WORLDRECORD FOR BOBBY FINKE! @WorldAquatics | #Swimming #Paris2024 | #OMEGA | #OMEGAOfficialTimekeeper pic.twitter.com/Cntermm4Tt
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 4, 2024
Meanwhile, in the women's 4x100m relay, Team USA set another world record by winning gold in 3:49.63, breaking the record of 3:50.40 set by the United States at the 2019 World Championships.
The men's 4x100m relay team, however, were aiming to win an 11th-consecutive gold medal in the medley but were beaten to the wall by China, ending a 64-year unbeaten streak in the process.
