Suits L.A. star Stephen Amell was overcome with emotion after swimmer Bobby Finke clinched gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Emotions ran high at the Olympic pool today,” Amell, 43, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, August 4, sharing a video of himself watching the post-race medal ceremony with a tear running down his face.
In an Instagram Story caption later on Sunday, Amell blamed the tears on “dad emotions [that hit] hard.”
Amell showed off his patriotic spirit in a Team USA jersey. He placed his left hand over his heart as the national anthem started playing in the room and the single tear rolled down his cheek during the rendition.
Finke, 24, not only won gold but created a new world record, finishing the race in 14 minutes and 30.67 seconds. Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen earned the silver and bronze medal, respectively.
Amell brought his 10-year-old daughter, Maverick (“Mavi”), to the competition at La Défense Arena. They were both excited about Finke’s performance.
“.@robert_finke just gave our kiddo the thrill of a lifetime!!” the actor gushed via Instagram Story on Sunday, sharing a snap of Mavi in the stands cheering on Finke.
In a second video, Mavi was elated that she was able to give Finke a high five as he paraded around the arena post-race, an American flag draped across his shoulders.
Stephen shares Mavi and youngest son Bowen with wife Cassandra Amell, to whom he’s been married since 2012.
“[Mavi] is my number one priority at all times. That will never change,” Stephen told My Life of Dad in May 2016. “It then becomes way easier to slot everything else where it should be in your life. My daughter first [and] my wife and my family second. If [Cassandra] heard this, she would agree with me. She would say the same thing. Everything else falls where it should.”
He added at the time, “Having a career is important, [but] if it doesn’t fall in line with priority No. 1 and priority No. 2 then f—k it it. I don’t care. I just say no. It just made my life a lot simpler and the path a lot clearer. My inclination to work hard becomes much easier because I know who I am working hard for.”
At the time, Stephen noted that he hoped Mavi grows up to be honest and can “trust and confide” in him no matter what.