PARIS, France — University of Georgia and Georgia Tech graduate Nic Fink is using his Olympic experience to help Team USA swim fast and go for the gold in Paris.
The captain led by example on Sunday when he tied for silver in the Men's 100m Breaststroke with Great Britain's Adam Peaty. Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi grabbed the gold by two-hundredths of a second: 59.03.
"Adam is obviously a legend in the sport, so to share a podium with him, let alone the silver, is an honor," Fink told 11Alive. "It's so fun to race on the biggest stage in the world, and this was a good opportunity to come away with some success."
The swimmer first became an Olympian by competing in Tokyo in the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he placed fifth in the 200m breaststroke. He said he's using that knowledge to help as Team USA goes for gold.
"I've been here at the Olympics once before, so I was hoping to use that experience to help the team get ready to go and start swimming fast," he said, adding that they were off to a great start. "We're only bringing in fresh bodies and having more fast swims, so it'll be a fun meet."
Fink said one of the motivating factors for him this year was being able to participate in fun side activities like watching other sports and experiencing village life, which he wasn't able to experience in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before 2020, his journey started in Athens, where he competed at the University of Georgia. However, after the Summer Games in Tokyo, Fink moved to Georgia Tech to pursue a master's degree in computer and electrical engineering. He also trained with the team there.
Two-time gold medalist and Georgia Tech swim head Coach Courtney Shealey Hart previously spoke to 11Alive about her experience coaching Fink.
“He was a very good person to lead by example in his training. And really was specific with his training and loved training and shared that with our group which was awesome," Hart said.
Fink gained a name for himself before the Olympics with his decorated World Championship experience. He holds at least 20 World Championship medals, including 13 gold medals.
But with the Olympics underway and a silver medal around his neck, Fink has another milestone to look forward to — fatherhood.
He and his wife Melanie, another Olympian from UGA, are expecting their first child. She was not able to be in Paris but is supporting her husband from afar.
"She's probably doing -- got her heart rate up as much as I did in that race," Fink said. "I'm missing her a lot out here. I know she's dying to be out here."
Although he misses her, he knows it's all for the best for his family and is awaiting this next chapter in his life.
"At the end of the day, this will be a piece of hardware, and at some point, we'll just be completely focused on other things," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.