In his first Olympic event, Finke won the gold in the men’s 800m freestyle, setting a new American record with a time of 7:41.87. He also placed first in the men's 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:39:65, making him the first American man to win the event since 1984. In the finals of both events, Finke was behind with 50 meters to go, but made a last-minute surge to win. He swam the final 50 meters of the 1500 in just 25.78 seconds, faster than any competitor's final lap in the men's 200m finals, and more than a half second faster than the 26.39 seconds for his own final 50 meters in the 800m.