The American swimmer Bobby Finke has impressed the world by setting a new world record while defending his Olympic title in the men’s 1,500 meters freestyle swimming event. Finke clocked a time of 14:30.67, surpassing the previous record of 14:31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang during the London Olympics in 2012.

In the final, which took place on Sunday, Finke showcased his strength from the start of the race by taking a significant lead in the early laps. He swam alone until Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, who won gold in this event at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, began to catch up to him around the 850-meter mark.

Even though Paltrinieri also swam at record pace, Finke managed to conserve energy for the final four laps, allowing him to cross the finish line 3.88 seconds ahead of Paltrinieri. Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen, who had previously won gold in the 800 meters freestyle, had predicted that a world record would be needed to win the event. However, he finished 8.96 seconds behind Finke without being able to deliver the necessary performance.

Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström secured her second gold medal at the Paris Olympics when she quickly claimed the title in the 50 meters freestyle. The 30-year-old swimmer, competing in her fifth Summer Olympics, touched the wall at 23.71 seconds, just shy of the world record of 23.61, which she set at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2023.

In a race typically decided by hundredths of a second, the Swedish star dominated the final. She was quickest off the blocks and maintained full control at the midpoint of the individual lap. Australia’s Meg Harris took silver with a time of 23.97 seconds, while bronze went to China’s Zhang Yufei with a time of 24.20 seconds.

These performances in the pool have highlighted the dramatic and entertaining aspects of swimming at this year’s Olympics, where both Finke and Sjöström have demonstrated that they are among the best swimmers in the world.