Wednesday, August 7, 2024
By: Kyle Niblett
Wrapping up his second Olympic Games in record fashion, 2023 University of Florida M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management graduate Bobby Finke walked away from the Paris Games with two more Olympic medals around his neck.
The Clearwater, Florida, native set the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle with a time of 14:30:67, breaking the 12-year-old record of 14:31:02 set by Sun Yang of China in the 2012 London Olympics. Finke also took home silver in the 800-meter freestyle in Paris, bringing his Olympic medal count to four. He had previously won gold in the 800 and 1,500 freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I really wanted to get on top of the podium again and hear the anthem all over again like I did for the first time in Tokyo,” Finke told the media after the meet. “It was a dream.”
Rinker Director Robert F. Cox, Ph.D., was watching live at his home in Florida as Finke touched first.
“On behalf of the entire Rinker family, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Bobby for his extraordinary accomplishments,” Cox said. “Balancing the rigorous demands of academic excellence with the dedication required to reach the pinnacle of athletic success is no small feat. Finke embodies the spirit of perseverance, discipline, and excellence that we strive to instill in all our Rinker students.”
As a senior at Rinker, Finke was one one of the top students in Associate Professor Aaron Costin’s demanding physical surveying course. Despite that, he was one of the few with a perfect attendance record, completing every assignment on time.
“I’ll never forget when Bobby preemptively apologized for possibly being late to our 8:30 a.m. lab because he had been at swimming practice since 4 a.m.,” Costin said. “While most students gripe about early classes, Bobby was already in the daily grind. He is a true Olympian both in the pool and the classroom.”
