Olympic champion Bobby Finke returns home

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – An Olympic gold medalist is now back home here in the Tampa Bay Area!

Bobby Finke, a Clearwater native, was welcomed home Saturday morning by friends and family at the pool where he trains.

American flags and shirts with Bobby Finke’s face filled the stands at the St. Petersburg Aquatics Center.

“I’m so excited to see him in real life again this year,” said 8-year-old Tenlyn Jordan.

“I hope he just knows how much we love him and support him and how proud we are of him,” said Regina Novak, a local mother.

Finke won a silver medal in the men’s 800-meter freestyle and gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“Another dream has come true. I was very stressed before these Olympics, so it’s just a blessing that I made it,” Finke said.

Finke said he had been working toward this moment for years.

“Lap after lap I was in a lot of pain, but I could see my competitors catching up to me and they really motivated me to stay ahead of them and be on course for the world record. And luckily I was able to hold it. It was fun,” Finke said.

The children at the aquatics center swim with Bobby and say that watching him win gold is an unforgettable moment.

“It was like jumping to the moon and back!” said swimmer Rafael Wuttke.

Now that he is back home, the celebrations begin.

“I’m excited to come back here and see everyone again and feel the support they’ve given me throughout all these years of growing up,” Finke said.

“It’s just incredibly exciting to know that someone who swims in our pool has accomplished this,” Novak said.

Finke said the work doesn’t stop and he will continue swimming now that he is back home.

“I don’t know whether that’s LA28 or beyond. But I’m excited to see what’s coming,” said Finke.

Finke also inspires young swimmers to realize their dreams.

“I really hope to grow up one day and be just like him,” Jordan said.

“I look up to him and maybe in ten years I will break his world record,” said Wuttke.