American distance man Robert Finke missed the World University Games while dealing with a wrist injury from a scooter accident.
Finke’s family confirmed the injury to SwimSwam this week. We’re told that the injury is healing, that Finke is working out in the pool and that the rising University of Florida sophomore does plan to compete at U.S. Nationals next month.
Finke was originally due to be one of the headline swimmers for the Americans at World University Games. He was the top seed in the 1500 free by 20 seconds, as well as the top seed in the 800 free.
Finke swam at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, where he scored the 3rd-fastest time in the 1500 (14:48.79), but couldn’t win a medal as the 3rd-fastest American. He also swam the 1500 at the 2017 World Championships while still in high school, placing 15th overall.
In his freshman season at Florida, Finke broke the SEC Championship Record in the 1650 free and swam the 5th-fastest time in the 1650 yard free in history.
Finke is far from the first big-name swimmer to be injured on land. Just this spring, two major American names – Megan Kingsley and Delaney Duncan – were hit by cars. Kingsley is a professional swimmer out of the University of Georgia hub, and Duncan a senior at Eastern Michigan University who was hit two weeks before her conference meet. Neither had any major injuries, but did have to miss some training.
American star Caeleb Dressel notably crashed his motorcycle last summer, ultimately impacting his training in what was a bit of a down summer for the multi-event 2017 World champ.
Those dang UF scooters
Swimmers always struggle on land. Bring on the bubble wrap.
Greatest example of this (the UF connection a bonus) was when Daniel Wallace was caught peeing on a cop’s car, tried to run off with his pants unzipped, and was tackled by police in 2014. When you can’t outrun a Gainesville Police Dept officer, even while drunk with your pants falling down, you’re not a land mammal.
Those silly Scots.
tell me he didn’t get the scooter from Caeleb…. LOL
He bought it from him LOL
Florida guys, pls stop doing Florida things. You don’t get these opportunities back. Don’t ride motorbikes ever.
New US national team benefit…..unlimited Uber rides
It could have been a Uber Scooter. The Uber App allows you use electric scooters now in the areas that have them.
😱 here you go
Cannot make this stuff up, UF swimmers walking everywhere from now on
Apparently UF swimmers need to be banned from using scooters/motorcycles as a means of transport…
And there is no helmet law in Florida which is really stupid. Hope the swimmers are wearing helmets
need bubble wrap law as well >_<
Skateboards too if you go back to Locate. Had a really nasty sprained ankle one year that affected his training.
Lochte also did the same EXACT thing in college. Troy said he would ban them if anyone else was injured. That obviously never happened.
Troy isn’t the college coach anymore so he can’t ban anyone.
And skateboards! Lochte hurt himself that way before a major meet when he was at Florida.
Edit: read further down and saw someone had already made this exact comment. My bad!
Ban the dang scooters!
Ride them after tokyo