TOKYO, Japan — Two-time Olympian and University of Georgia swimmer Gunnar Bentz is preparing for his last race in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Born and raised in Atlanta, the 25-year-old swimmer made history in the 2016 Rio Olympics as UGA's first men's swimmer to win gold.
During the men's 200m Butterfly, he qualified for the finals. He finished fourth in his heat with the time of 1:55.28.
Bentz came in 7th place in his last Olympic race with a time of 1:55.46 in the men's 200m Butterfly finals.
In an Instagram post, Bentz said he's elated to be competing in his first individual Olympic final but wrote it will also be his last race as a professional swimmer.
"I've been repeating this one quote by Thomas Carlyle 'Work while it is still today, for soon the night comes, in which no man can work', and so that really resonates with me because I'm not going to be doing this much longer," Bentz said. "After this summer, I'm going to be done. My swimming career is over."
Instead, Bentz wants to become a leader and mentor his younger teammates.