The American was in fifth place but roared ahead at the end to claim Olympic gold in the 800-meter freestyle
In fifth position for most of the race, U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke surged at the end to claim Olympic gold in the 800-meter freestyle on Thursday.
The thrilling come-from-behind win at the Tokyo Games was the first Olympic medal for Finke in his first Olympic Games.
“I just really wanted to get my hand on the wall,” Finke, 21, said after the race Thursday. “I’m just so happy I was able to switch into another gear.”
Thursday’s race was the Olympic debut for the event, which Finke finished in 7:41.87. That time set an American record.
The leader for most of the race, which is around a half-mile in length, was Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri. He came in second and won silver.
Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine won the bronze.
Paltrinieri, the 2016 Olympic champion in the 1500, got out to a massive early lead, leading Finke by over two seconds at the 300-meter mark. That gap was down to just over a second at the 500, and under a second at the 600, but then back at nearly 1.5 seconds at the 700 — but it wouldn’t prove enough to hold off Finke.
He was the lone American in the final. He’s set to return to the pool later this week to represent the U.S. in the 1500.
It was the second time in as many days that a U.S. swimmer won gold in an event appearing at the Olympics for the first time.
On Wednesday, Katie Ledecky finished first in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle race, a race that’s a fixture in world championships but was available to women in the Olympics for the first time at Tokyo.
“It means a lot,” Finke said. “Coming into this, there was a lot of doubt behind American distance. I’m happy to try and get a medal on the board for the team. I’m just really excited
OVERVIEW
OnMyWay Is The #1 Distracted Driving Mobile App In The Nation!
OnMyWay, based in Charleston, SC, The Only Mobile App That Pays its Users Not to Text and Drive.
The #1 cause of death among young adults ages 16-27 is Car Accidents, with the majority related to Distracted Driving.
OnMyWay’s mission is to reverse this epidemic through positive rewards. Users get paid for every mile they do not text and drive and can refer their friends to get compensated for them as well.
The money earned can then be used for Cash Cards, Gift Cards, Travel Deals and Much, Much More….
The company also makes it a point to let users know that OnMyWay does NOT sell users data and only tracks them for purposes of providing a better experience while using the app.
The OnMyWay app is free to download and is currently available on both the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android @ OnMyWay; Drive Safe, Get Paid.
Download App Now – https://r.onmyway.com
Sponsors and advertisers can contact the company directly through their website @ www.onmyway.com.
OnMyWay is the Only Texting and Driving Solution That Pays
Trusted and 
By Millions of OnMyWay Mobile App Users