The Surprising Way Bobby Finke Is Prepping for Paris
Bobby Finke, 24, is a professional American swimmer and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Previously speaking to Men's Health US, he shared he was dedicating all of his time to training in Gainesville, Florida with coach Anthony Nesty to prep for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis. There, he swam three events: the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle. He officially qualified for the Olympics in the 800m and 1500m, with top times in the events. Men's Health sat down with him at the beginning of July to discuss how trials went, and what's coming up before the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26.
Trials was gruelling. It was a nine-day-long meet. We got to Indianapolis on the 11th of June and got back on the 24th. I swam on the first, third, fourth, ninth, and 10th day. I did the 400 meter free, 800 meter free, and 1500 meter free, in that order. So the events got longer as they went on.
My focus wasn't really on the 400m free. That's just kind of my fun race I get to do. It warms me up and gets me in the pool, but I didn't put too much pressure on it. The 800m free was the event where I really aimed to get on the [Olympic] team, so that held the most pressure. I was able to qualify on that one, so the mile was more relaxed, and I could just focus on winning and doing my best.
I definitely got nervous before my events. I kind of hate feeling nervous, but in the back of my mind, I know if I'm not nervous, then something's wrong. Like I don't care enough about the race if I'm not nervous. It just means I care about how I do and how I perform. So every time I feel nervous, that's what I'm reminding myself. And I believe I've done my best when I'm nervous or feel pressure, so I welcome it even though it's uncomfortable. I don't know exactly what makes trials so stressful, but it's way worse than at the Olympics. That's something I've learned over the years. Overall I was really happy with [trials], but I'm relieved it's over.
In about a week or so, I'm on to training camp. That starts in Raleigh, North Carolina, and then it's in Croatia. We always go there before the Olympics—we usually get on a practice schedule that mimics the schedule we'll see in Paris. I wouldn't be surprised if we stick to that. I think part of it is to acclimate to the time zone, but the other part is just to spend some time bonding and relaxing with the team. It's a beautiful place where we can just spend some time in the water and chill before we stress ourselves out at the competition. It's more relaxing then you'd expect for pre-Olympics prep.
Swimming is mostly an individual sport, but we build a lot as a team here. A lot of us grew up racing each other, and many of us have even come from the same team. During training camp, we do team dinners and team activities that pull us closer together. There are some traditions I can't go into too much detail about—I was told to keep it secret, so I'll keep it a secret. But it's all fun.
Until [camp], I'm trying to relax as much as possible. Just de-stress the best I can after trials. The focus at practice now is the same for Paris as it was for trials—it's all about sharpening the knife. Like I said last time, that means focusing on breathing in and out of my turns. That's always my biggest thing. I did do better at that at trials, though! I got a little lazy towards the end of the mile—it's such a long race—but it was definitely better in the beginning and in a majority of my races. Plus, it gets better the more rest I get, so that's what I'm trying to do.
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