U.S. Nationals: Bobby Finke Earns Chance to Defend World Title in 800 Freestyle; Ross Dant Grabs Second Spot
The way Bobby Finke has dominated the distance events in the United States over the past few years, there was no doubt concerning the outcome of the 800-meter freestyle on the final day of the United States National Championships in Indianapolis. The event was expected to be a runaway, and Finke delivered with a seven-second margin of victory and U.S. Open record.
Complementing his earlier triumph in the 1500 freestyle, Finke registered a world-leading time of 7:40.34 in the 800 free to easily outdistance the 7:48.10 of runnerup Ross Dant. This summer will mark the third consecutive year in which Finke represents the United States at a major championship competition in both distance disciplines.
The Olympic champion in the 800 free and 1500 free at the Tokyo Games, Finke followed at last year’s World Championships with a gold medal in the 800 freestyle and silver in the 1500 free. At this summer’s World Champs, slated for Japan later this month, Finke will again contend for the podium against the likes of Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri, the Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk, Germany’s Florian Wellbrock and Aussie Sam Short.
“The other guys around the world are doing some pretty crazy things in distance swimming. I don’t think there’s a clear favorite out there, just because they’re all so close. Just to be able to be in the same consideration with those guys, they’ve been doing it for years, and I’ve been watching them. I was always looking up to them when I was a wee lad,” Finke said.
Finke wasted little time building a lead, as he was ahead of the field by a half-second at the 200-meter mark and was more than two seconds ahead at the midway mark. Finke’s power was even more evident over the final eight laps, where he added five seconds of cushion to his advantage. Finke touched just a second off his American record of 7:39.36, which he set at the 2022 World Championships.
“I was just trying to swim good. I didn’t really know where I was, but I could see my teammates waiving on the side telling me to go. I was like, ‘I’ve got to be on pace for something.’ I thought it was my U.S. Open record or something like that. I’m just really pleased with the time. I was three seconds slower last year. I’ve got nothing to complain about,” Finke said. “I know the 800 (world) record is, in my opinion, by far the hardest in the books, just because of the ability the supersuits allowed for distance swimming. Toward the end of the race, they’re still floating upward. We’re all fighting to keep our torsos up. Just because the world record is seven seconds faster, other people, it’s impossible. For me, I’m not going to limit myself like that, even if it ends up being impossible. I’m never going to limit myself in that area.”
As is typical in Finke’s races, he stormed home, clocking 26.80 for his last 50 meters. The next-best finishing lap was 27.86, from fourth-place finisher Charlie Clark.
Overshadowed this week was Finke’s performance in the 400 individual medley, where he placed third behind Carson Foster and Chase Kalisz. En route to a time of 4:09.55, Finke vaulted to sixth in the world rankings. Now, though, he will focus squarely on the distance events and adding additional accolades to his continually developing resume.
Sitting in fourth place at the 200-meter and 400-meter checkpoints, Dant made a major move during the second half of the race, a surge that earned the North Carolina State standout a trip to Japan. By the 600-meter mark, Dant was in second place and he padded that edge over the closing four laps to finish ahead of Will Gallant (7:50.75).
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