Kirby Smart surprises former Georgia swimmer Nic Fink after medaling at 2024 Olympics: ‘I was a breaststroker in high school’

It’s been a great start to the 2024 Olympics for American swimmer Nic Fink, winning a silver medal in the 100 meter breaststroke.

While making a media appearance after winning his medal, the former Georgia Bulldog swimmer got a surprise. It was a FaceTime call from Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, who wanted to congratulate him on his medal.

You can watch the two talk and Smart congratulate Fink on his success, here:

So this just happened, during the Olympics. Let's gooooo #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/n1MKLRxniS

— Elite. Dawg. (@EliteDawgNation) July 30, 2024

“Go Dawgs. Silver medalist,” Smart said. “We’re so pumped…I was a breaststroker back in high school. I was pumped.”

“Well, I’m happy to continue on that legacy then. The Georgia breaststroke legacy,” Fink joked.

Kirby Smart went on to share how excited longtime Georgia swim coach Jack Bauerle, who coached Nic Fink during his time at Georgia, was for him to win a medal. Of course, Bauerle had already gotten in contact with Fink to congratulate him too.

As a college swimmer, Fink competed at Georgia after signing his letter of intent back in 2010. Starting in 2012, he would compete at Olympic trials, but he did not make it to the Olympics until the 2020 games that were held in Tokyo. Now, at 31 years old, he has his first Olympic medal.

Nic Fink was getting interviewed by NBC host Maria Taylor, who made sure to cut in and ask Kirby Smart for some tickets to the next national championship game on the swimmer’s behalf. However, in typical coach manner, Smart wasn’t looking that far ahead.

“We gotta get there first,” Smart laughed. “You know that.”

It might be a little too early to be talking about another Georgia national championship but the Bulldogs are one of the favorites to at least make the College Football Playoff. If anyone can get a former Bulldog athlete and Olympian a free ticket to one of those games when they come around, it’s Kirby Smart.

In a wholesome moment to end the call, the Fink and Smart talked briefly about fatherhood and how excited Fink is to become a father. Fink and his wife Melanie Margalis, a Georgia Bulldog swimmer and a gold medal winner from the 2016 Olympics in her own right, are expecting their first child while he’s competing in Paris.

In Tokyo, Fink competed in the 200 meter breaststroke. There, he finished fifth. Now in the 100 meter breaststroke, he was able to find the podium.