Luke Whitlock delivers on Olympic dream by teaming up with Bobby Finke on U.S. distance swim team
Associated PressINDIANAPOLIS — Three years ago, Luke Whitlock watched the Tokyo Olympics and dreamed of the day he could compete on the American team. The 18-year-old soon-to-be college freshman at Florida became the youngest male swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic swim team since 2000 by finishing second to two-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke in the men’s 800-meter freestyle. In his first U.S. Olympic Trials competition Saturday, Whitlock also broke Phelps’ age-group record for 17- and 18-year-olds by 0.31 seconds with a time of 3:46.55 in the 400 freestyle prelims. “I’m not really sure how I split it, but I think I went out pretty aggressive and I’m hurting pretty bad, but it was worth it.” Whitlock didn’t even appear to be out of breath Tuesday following the second-longest distance swim at this week’s nine-day meet in Indianapolis. For Whitlock, it meant every bit as much as it did to Shackell to accomplish their greatest feats yet in front of their hometown fans — and inside the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts home stadium.
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