The 2024 Golden Goggles Awards were held on Saturday, November 23, at the Marriott Downtown in Indianapolis. The annual event saw 12 US swimmers bag prestigious awards for their notable performances across the year.
Bobby Finke grabbed two awards for his impressive performance at the Paris Olympics where he won one gold and one silver. Owing to this, he was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Moreover, he also won the Male Race of the Year Award for his heroics in the men's 1500m freestyle event where he clocked a world record run time of 14:30.67.
After Finke received the awards, he expressed his happiness for the support he has received in recent years. The Tampa native said the 1500m freestyle race in the Paris Olympics was "fun." He said (via USA Swimming):
"I just want to take a moment to thank all the amazing support I have. The race itself was a lot of fun to do."
Six-time Olympic medalist Torri Huske was one of the most decorated swimmers during the 2024 Golden Goggles award. She was named the Female Athlete of the Year and also won the honor for Female Race of the Year.
Moreover, she was also part of the quartet that won the Relay Performance of the Year award, with Regan Smith, Lilly King, and Gretchen Walsh. They were honored for their performances in the 4x100m medley at the Paris Games. Huske said during the ceremony (via USA Swimming),
"I am so honored to be receiving this award tonight. My swimming career has not been perfect, but moments like these and this past summer make all the setbacks worth it."
On that note, let's take a look at all the awardees from the 2024 Golden Goggles Award event.
Complete list of the 2024 annual Golden Goggles Awards
Bobby Finke - Male Athlete of The Year and Male Race of the Year
Torri Huske - Female Athlete of the Year and Female Race of the Year
Gretchen Walsh - Breakout Athlete of the Year
Arlene McDonald - Impact Award of the Year
Todd DeSorbo - Coach of the Year Award
Paige Madden - Perseverance Award
Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, and Liily King - Relay Performance of the Year
Rowdy Gaines - Alumni Award
Scott and Lorraine Davison - US Swimming Foundation Impact Award
Katie Grimes - 2024 Fran Crippen Open Water Swimmer Award