Bobby Finke the star swimmer won the gold medal in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle race on Sunday setting a world record in the progress with his time of 14:30.67.

Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri took the silver, and Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen earned bronze.

The medal makes Finke, 24, the only U.S. men’s swimmer to earn a gold medal in an individual race during the 2024 Olympics. “I knew,” he said with a laugh. “I was reading all the articles and all the comments and everything. I like reading that stuff, it kind of motivates me inside. But you know, the world’s getting faster, and I think it’s a really good thing and a really healthy thing for the sport.”

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This marks his second medal at the Paris Games, having secured a silver in the men’s 800-meter freestyle on July 30. Finke’s triumph in the 1500-meter event mirrors his victory at the 2020 Tokyo Games. “I was just thrilled to win,” he shared with a laugh while speaking to the press. “There was immense pressure before the race because I was eager to defend my title and experience the joy of standing atop the podium once more, listening to the anthem just like in Tokyo. Achieving that was incredible.”