It looks like the North Shore Aquatic Complex is where champions are made. Robert “Bobby” Finke set a new world record in the men’s 1,500m freestyle in Paris over the weekend. Finke brought home another gold medal for Team USA – and some of his training was done right here in St. Pete.
Fink was born in Tampa and lists his official hometown as Clearwater with the Olympics. It’s wonderful to see a Pinellas County prodigy show out on the grandest stage of them all.
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Setting a world record in Paris
Finke was under world-record pace for the entire race and accelerated towards the finish. He touched in at 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds, breaking the record of 14.31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang at the 2012 London Games.
Finke’s gold was the seventh for the U.S., pulling them into a tie with Australia for the top spot in the gold medal count, with only the 4×100 medley relays remaining.
“Swimming is definitely something that runs in the family,” Finke said in an interview on the official Paris Olympics website. “I really liked following in my older sisters’ footsteps. You know, as a younger brother, you want to be better than your sisters. So, I competed with them a lot as I grew up, and they really shaped the way I perceive and go after the sport to this day.”
Experience the North Shore Aquatic Center
Robert “Bobby” Finke was on fire at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, held in 2021. The USA swimmer set a new American record of 7:41.87 in the 800m freestyle on his way to winning the Olympic gold medal, before becoming the first male USA swimmer to win the 1500m Olympic title since 1984.
North Shore Aquatic Complex is located at 901 North Shore Drive NE. It’s open year-round and features a 50-meter pool with a diving board, 25 25-meter training pool with zero depth entry, a play pool with a giant flume slide, splash pad, and accessible zero depth entry.
The complex offers a variety of diverse programming for all ages and skill levels. Available classes include Stroke Technique and Water Aerobics. For more information, call 727-893-7916. See a full schedule of classes and activities here.
Program Membership Fees:
- Daily: $7.00
- Monthly: $35.00
- Biannual: $175.00
- Annual: $350.00
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