American swimmer Bobby Fink comes from behind to win Olympic gold in the 800m freestyle

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In fifth for most of the race, American swimmer Bobby Fink eventually jumped to claim Olympic gold in the 800-meter freestyle on Thursday.

The thrilling victory at the Tokyo Olympics was Finky’s first Olympic medal in his first Olympic Games.

“I just really wanted to get my hands on the wall,” Fink, 21, said after Thursday’s race. “I am very happy that I was able to switch to other equipment.”

Thursday’s race was the event’s Olympic debut, which Finke finished in 7:41.87. That time set an American record قياسي

Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri was the lead for most of the race, which is about half a mile long. He came in second place and won the silver medal.

Ukraine’s Mikhailo Romanchuk won the bronze.

Paltrinieri, the 2016 Olympic champion in the 1500, made a massive lead early on, leading Finke by more than two seconds at the 300-meter mark. That gap dropped to just over a second at 500, and just under a second at 600, but then came back to nearly 1.5 seconds at 700 – but it wouldn’t be enough to stop Finke.

He was the only American player in the final. He is scheduled to return to the pool later this week to represent the United States at the 1500.

It was the second time in as many days that an American swimmer won a gold medal in an event that appeared at the Olympics for the first time.

On Wednesday, Katie Ledecky took first place in the women’s 1500m freestyle, a race indispensable at the World Championships but available to women at the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo.

“It means a lot,” Fink said. “Going into this, there was a lot of skepticism behind the American distance. I’m happy to try and get a medal on the board for the team. I’m really excited.”

Phil Hillsell is a reporter for NBC News.

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