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NANTERRE, France – The United States wins so many swimming medals in each Olympics, a bronze medal can feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the others.

But there’s nothing like your first medal.

Luke Hobson, 21, got a taste of that Monday night at La Defense Arena. He lost, barely. But he won big, too. Hobson was beaten by only 0.07 seconds in a thrilling and youthful 200-meter freestyle final, finishing third behind 19-year-old gold medalist David Popovici of Romania and 21-year-old silver medalist Matthew Richards of Great Britain.  

“It was a pure dogfight,” Popovici said. “We all fought until the last stroke with every last atom in our bodies. Today this was the result. It could have just as easily been the other way around. This is just the start. We're going to have our chances to race again."

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How close was this race throughout? After the first 50 meters, Hobson was in last place.

Less than a second, however, separated him from the leader. Gradually, Hobson gained ground, going from seventh to fourth, and then in the final 50, it was anyone's gold to grab.

Looked for a flash like Hobson might win it, too.

Nonetheless, Hobson was pleased when he looked at the scoreboard to see he'd touched just behind Popovici and only 0.02 behind Richards.

“The field from what I could tell was all bunched together pretty tight,” said Hobson, a 12-time All-American at the University of Texas who hails from Reno, Nevada. “So I kind of thought to myself, ‘Just be patient. Wait to strike.’ Coming home the last 50, I think we were all giving it all we had. Years of hard work go into this, and I think a lot of that paid off for me in the last 50. …

“In a race as tight as that, just happy to end up on the podium.”

There could be more in this Olympics for Hobson, who is expected to swim in the 4x200 relay.

“I was expecting to be within striking distance of the podium,” he said. “… Really happy I got my first medal. Just a feeling of excitement. I'm super happy with it."