See all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.
2024 U.S. Male Swimmer of the Year: Bobby Finke
This year’s United States Male Swimmer of the Year award was not particularly difficult to hand out, and Bobby Finke earns his 2nd straight Swammy for US Male Swimmer of the year.
While there were two U.S. men who broke world records this year, Finke in the long course 1500 free and Luke Hobson in the short course meters 200 free, Finke was the hero of the men’s team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, winning the only individual gold medal at a Games where every medal mattered.
There was a lot of media attention on the gold medal race at the 2024 Olympics, after Australia overtook the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships. The women performed well, but the men’s team was facing scrutiny from the media due to their “lackluster” performance at the games, winning just four individual medals going into the final day, none of which were gold. Finke rose to the occasion, after placing 2nd in the 800 freestyle on day four, bringing home the gold in the men’s 1500 free and setting the World Record in the process.
When asked about the criticism from the media after his race, Finke told NBC:
“I was reading all the articles and all the comments and everything, I like reading that stuff. It kind of motivates me inside. As much as it sucks that we’re not dominating anymore, I think it’s good for the sport and it shows how far the sport has come.”
The Paris Olympics pool was widely considered to be a “slow” meet, seeing only four world records over the nine days of swimming. Finke was one of the two individual World Record breakers at this year’s Olympics, going a final time of 14:30.67 in the event to break Sun Yang’s record of 14:31.02 from 2012. The only other individual record came from Pan Zhanle in the 100 free.
He also swam the 800 free earlier in the games, winning the silver medal in 7:38.75. This was just off his best time and American record of 7:38.67 from the 2023 World Championships.
Finke has reinvigorated U.S. men’s distance swimming, bringing home two gold medals in the last two Olympic Games after they hadn’t won the 1500 since 1984.
Honorable Mentions:
- Luke Hobson: Luke Hobson set the other men’s World Record for the United States earlier this month at the 2024 Short Course World Championships in the 200 freestyle, winning the gold medal in the process. He first broke the record leading off the 4×200 freestyle relay in 1:38.91 to break Paul Biedermann’s previous record of 1:39.37 from 2009, which was the last remaining “super-suit era” record in short course meters. He went on to win the individual event, lowering his World Record time to go 1:38.61. Hobson’s participation on the 4×200 relay helped the men break the World Record in that event as well. Hobson started the year at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, where he won the bronze in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:45.26. He went on to break the American and NCAA record in the 200 freestyle short course, going 1:28.81 at the 2024 NCAA Championships. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hobson won the bronze medal in the 200 free.
- Jack Alexy: Jack Alexy was a crucial relay member for the U.S. throughout 2024, and he set a new National Record in the 100 freestyle at 2024 Short Course Worlds, winning a gold medal in the process. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alexy was a member of the other U.S. men’s gold medal, the 4×100 freestyle relay, leading off the relay in 47.44. He also swam the freestyle leg in the prelims of the men’s silver medal 4×100 medley relay. Alexy swam at the World Championships earlier this month, winning five medals, including a gold in the 100 free. He started the meet with an American Record in the 100 free leading off the gold medal 4×100 free relay in 45.05 to break the record of 45.08 held by Caeleb Dressel and Nathan Adrian. He also helped the men’s 4×100 medley, and the mixed 4×100 medley relays win the silver medal with his freestyle leg on both, splitting a blistering 44.53 for the fastest split in the field on the mixed version of the relay.
- Nic Fink: Nic Fink has been a cornerstone of U.S. men’s breaststroke for years, and they struggled without him at the 2024 Short Course Worlds. He started the year with three medals at the 2024 World Championships in Doha. He won the gold in the 100 breast in 58.57, and the bronze in the 50 breast and the 200 breast. He went on to win his first ever Olympic medal in July with his 2nd place finish in the men’s 100 breaststroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he helped the men’s 4×100 medley to silver, and the mixed 4×100 medley to gold and the World Record.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
- 2023 – Bobby Finke
- 2022 – Nic Fink
- 2021 – Caeleb Dressel
- 2020 – Caeleb Dressel
- 2019 – Caeleb Dressel
- 2018 – Ryan Murphy
- 2017 – Caeleb Dressel
- 2016 – Michael Phelps
- 2015 – Michael Phelps
- 2014 – Connor Jaeger
- 2013 – Ryan Lochte
Nothing anywhere saying Fink retired. Y’all leak an inside scoop?
Melanie is wielding a rolling pin.
Is Fink retired?
Wow I missed that. When did Nic Fink say he was officially retired?
disagree w the alexy over murphy hm sneak. this year wasnt perfect but were going to sorely miss our longtime stalwarts (murphy and ledecky) when theyre gone — the kids behind them havent yet indicated theyll be able to replicate the same level of reliability on the big stage
hopefully this will change w bob finally getting some domestic blue chips but we shall see…
“Nic Fink is retired now”
…sound the death knell for our mixed and male medley relays
So I don’t get it. How does Bobby win SOY award when he “only” won one gold medal at the Olympics (sarcasm) and really did nothing else, but Gretchen wins over ledecky, Huske and Regan who all had way better Olympics and won multiple individual medals or in Ledeckys case two gold medals? No consistency SS.
Valid
Probably because there were no other male swimmers that broke a ton of SCM WRs and NCAA records.
Sorry to burst your bubble, SCM swimming does exist.
Freddie, it’s funny because it was the most predictable comment after the election of Gretchen Walsh for the award of the best American female swimmer. However, I have to acknowledge I agree with you.
Yes.