Current:Home > MarketsUS swimmer Luke Hobson takes bronze in 200-meter freestyle 'dogfight' -FutureFinance
US swimmer Luke Hobson takes bronze in 200-meter freestyle 'dogfight'
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-07 04:38:49
Editor's note: Keep up with all of the Olympics action here.
NANTERRE, France – The United States wins so many swimming medals in each Olympics, a bronze medal can feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the others.
But there’s nothing like your first medal.
Luke Hobson, 21, got a taste of that Monday night at La Defense Arena. He lost, barely. But he won big, too. Hobson was beaten by only 0.07 seconds in a thrilling and youthful 200-meter freestyle final, finishing third behind 19-year-old gold medalist David Popovici of Romania and 21-year-old silver medalist Matthew Richards of Great Britain.
“It was a pure dogfight,” Popovici said. “We all fought until the last stroke with every last atom in our bodies. Today this was the result. It could have just as easily been the other way around. This is just the start. We're going to have our chances to race again."
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
How close was this race throughout? After the first 50 meters, Hobson was in last place.
Less than a second, however, separated him from the leader. Gradually, Hobson gained ground, going from seventh to fourth, and then in the final 50, it was anyone's gold to grab.
Looked for a flash like Hobson might win it, too.
Nonetheless, Hobson was pleased when he looked at the scoreboard to see he'd touched just behind Popovici and only 0.02 behind Richards.
“The field from what I could tell was all bunched together pretty tight,” said Hobson, a 12-time All-American at the University of Texas who hails from Reno, Nevada. “So I kind of thought to myself, ‘Just be patient. Wait to strike.’ Coming home the last 50, I think we were all giving it all we had. Years of hard work go into this, and I think a lot of that paid off for me in the last 50. …
“In a race as tight as that, just happy to end up on the podium.”
There could be more in this Olympics for Hobson, who is expected to swim in the 4x200 relay.
“I was expecting to be within striking distance of the podium,” he said. “… Really happy I got my first medal. Just a feeling of excitement. I'm super happy with it."
veryGood! (9334)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Creating a sperm or egg from any cell? Reproduction revolution on the horizon
- Arctic Report Card 2019: Extreme Ice Loss, Dying Species as Global Warming Worsens
- What we know about the health risks of ultra-processed foods
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Victorian England met a South African choir with praise, paternalism and prejudice
- Post Roe V. Wade, A Senator Wants to Make Birth Control Access Easier — and Affordable
- Hunter Biden to appear in court in Delaware in July
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- One man left Kansas for a lifesaving liver transplant — but the problems run deeper
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- An abortion doula explains the impact of North Carolina's expanded limitations
- Will China and the US Become Climate Partners Again?
- Some Utilities Want a Surcharge to Let the Sunshine In
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- An abortion doula explains the impact of North Carolina's expanded limitations
- New report on Justice Samuel Alito's travel with GOP donor draws more scrutiny of Supreme Court ethics
- Farewell, my kidney: Why the body may reject a lifesaving organ
Recommendation
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Here's how much money Americans think they need to retire comfortably
How Boulder Taxed its Way to a Climate-Friendlier Future
Vanderpump Rules Reunion Part One: Every Bombshell From the Explosive Scandoval Showdown
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Deadly storm slams northern Texas town of Matador, leaves trail of destruction
Selling Sunset’s Bre Tiesi Confronts Chelsea Lazkani Over Nick Cannon Judgment
Mama June Reveals What's Next for Alana Honey Boo Boo Thompson After High School Graduation