Finke hung close for most of the race and then slingshotted himself into the lead with his final turn, beating his rivals to the wall. He finished in 14 minutes 39.65 seconds, a body length ahead of Romanchuk (14:40.66) and Wellbrock (14:40.91). “I was just trying to hold on and get my hand on the wall,” Finke said. Finke, who was competing at his first Olympics, won the men’s 800-meter freestyle on Thursday. Heading into the final 200 meters, Finke was part of a group of three — alongside Wellbrock and Romanchuk — far ahead of the pack.

Source: New York Times August 01, 2021 01:11 UTC