[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 127 (Friday, August 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E793-E794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING TEXAS-24 HOMETOWN HERO, NIC FINK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETH VAN DUYNE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2024

  Ms. VAN DUYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 
Hometown Hero, Nic Fink. This year, at 31 year old, Nic Fink made 
history as the oldest first-time Olympic swimming medalist in history, 
proving that age is no barrier. Growing up in New Jersey, Nic fell in 
love with swimming as a teenager in high school. He continued to purse 
his passion while completing an electrical engineering degree at the 
University of Georgia. In recent years, he's established himself as a 
top-tier competitor, taking home gold six times at the World 
Championships and placing fifth in the men's 200-meter breaststroke at 
the Tokyo games.
  After his Olympic debut in Tokyo, he went on to receive his master's 
in electrical and

[[Page E794]]

computes engineering at Georgia Tech. Nic juggles working a 9-to-5 Job 
at Quanta Utility Engineering Services while continuing his swim 
training at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he lives 
with his wife, Melanie, herself a gold medalist Olympian swimmer. Nic 
says that he likes to focus on the mental, physical, and emotional 
demands of performing at the elite level when naming so that ``when the 
race comes, you don't really have to think at all.''
  Nic is an inspiration to North Texans and swimmers of all ages, and 
I'd like to congratulate him on earning an Olympic Silver Medal.

                          ____________________