Bobby Finke Says His Girlfriend Has ‘Sacrificed a Lot’ for His Olympic Dream (Exclusive)

Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke says he has a lot to be grateful for — including his longtime girlfriend.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the US Open, the swimmer, 25, opened up about his relationship with Ellie Zweifel, a fellow swimmer and University of Florida alum.

According to the Olympian — who took home gold for the 1500-meter freestyle event in Paris in 2024 — there isn’t just one key to a long-lasting relationship.

“I think there’s a lot of keys,” he tells PEOPLE, “but the one thing that I know Ellie does for me is she’s one of my biggest supporters and she’s sacrificed a lot from herself to allow me to do what I want to do.”

“I’m just looking forward to be able to repay that one day,” Finke adds.

According to the athlete, his training for the 2028 Los Angeles games started just one month after he broke records at the Paris Olympics.

“That’s when we first got back in the pool,” he shares. “Every year we’re always trying to get better and I want to be my best in L.A.”

Although some pressure comes with attending his third Olympic games, Finke shares that any potential wins will probably feel even greater.

“I think most of the pressure comes due to the fact that it’s gonna be on home soil,” Finke says. “But the opportunity to be able to break that record again on home soil just makes it mean a lot more, and that’s what I’m really excited about.”

Finke also shares that he was initially unsure if he wanted to swim again after 2024, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to have a home court advantage.

“They kind of decide, I guess like eight years before, and so you didn’t really know until, like, 2020,” he shares of Team USA’s schedule. “And at that point before Tokyo, I had no intention on swimming past 2024.”

“But as years went on after Tokyo, I was like, ‘The home Olympics, that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,’ ” he adds. “Seeing how the fans and the home country in France reacted to their athletes was incredible. And I know like in America, we always want to be the best and do better. That’s, that’s what I’m really looking forward to.”

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In 2024, Finke spoke with PEOPLE in Paris about his record-breaking win, when he became the only U.S. men’s swimmer to earn a gold medal in an individual race during the 2024 Olympics following the 1500-meter freestyle.

“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.”

Finke’s gold in the 1500-meters is a repeat of the 2020 Tokyo Games, when he also won the event.

“I was just happy I won,” he told reporters, laughing. “I had a lot of pressure going into the race, I really wanted to defend that medal, I really wanted to get on top of that podium again. And hear the anthem all over again like I did in Tokyo. So to be able to do that was great.”