For Nic Fink, a moment long in the making has finally arrived, bringing with it an unmatched sweetness.
The 31-year-old swimmer, who juggles training with a full-time engineering job, secured his first Olympic medal in his late-blooming career on Sunday night. Fink tied for the silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke with British legend Adam Peaty, just two-hundredths of a second behind Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi.
For many athletes, missing the gold by such a narrow margin could be devastating. However, Fink, having faced numerous challenges throughout his career, was anything but disheartened.
In his initial two attempts at the US Olympic trials, Fink did not make the team. His breakthrough came in 2021, only for him to finish fifth in the 200 breaststroke at the Tokyo Games, which were delayed due to the pandemic. Now, he finally possesses a coveted Olympic medal.
“Yeah, age is just a number in some sense,” Fink reflected. “But in another sense, it means more at this time, especially because there were definitely windows to close my career earlier and I kind of kept going for the love of the sport. To have this much success this late has been icing on the cake and a lot of fun.”
Fink has already embarked on the next phase of his life. He works for Quanta Utility Engineering Services, managing his duties remotely from his home in Dallas. This dual role demands significant multitasking skills, but Fink’s coaches at SMU and his engineering colleagues have been supportive in making it work.
Adding to his responsibilities, Fink and his wife, former Olympic swimmer Melanie Margalis Fink, are expecting their first child in September. When Fink secured his place on the US team at the trials in Indianapolis last month, he made a memorable rocking motion to his wife in the stands. However, with the due date approaching, she was unable to travel to Paris.
“The doctor was like, ‘Yeah, we’re actually really kind of close for any travel, let alone international travel,'” Fink shared. “I know she’s here with me in spirit. Yeah, I’m bummed she can’t be here, but it’s for the best of reasons.”
As a nervous father-to-be, Fink described his wife’s reaction to his thrilling race back home. “I think she probably got her heart rate up as much as I did,” he said. “I’m hoping she’s able to relax a little bit and stay hydrated and lay down because she was probably jumping up and down.”
Fink was elated to share the podium with Adam Peaty, a two-time reigning gold medalist, whom he regards as one of the greatest breaststrokers in history. “He’s a legend in the sport,” Fink said. “And to see Nicolo there as well, it’s really fun. We’ve been racing together for quite a while, it seems like. So it’s really cool to share the podium with all those guys.”
With so much happening in his life, this will likely be Fink’s final Olympics. Yet, he remains undaunted by the challenges. He is an expert in balancing his commitments and demonstrating patience.
“It’s just getting better and better,” Fink said. “To have this kind of success at this meet, swimming for something that I’ve dedicated so long of my career to, it’s really cool. And for that to kind of lead into something else, that’s also really cool.”
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