an hour agoHe won the race, but the British swimmer is eliminated from the Olympics due to very little-known rule
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)British swimmer Luke Greenbank's dream, for 200 metres of his back at the Olympics, is over after he qualified after his victory in Paris. Greenbank seemed to have secured a location in the semifinals of this event at La Defense Arena, but was shocked after being eliminated by a little recognized rule. Two [...]
Greenbank seemed to have secured a location in the semifinals of this event at La Defense Arena, but was shocked after being eliminated by a little recognized rule.
The two-time Olympic medal winner realised a time of 1 minute and 56 seconds, qualifying more than a second before Hungary's front favourite Hubert Kos.
But joy soon turned into despair for the 26-year-old, as images showed that Greenbank had been swimming underwater too long at the start of the race.
According to a World Water Federation rule in effect since 1988, athletes are not allowed to pass the 15m mark while still underwater. At that point the head must have surfaced.
Greenbank looked into television screens within the arena and soon realized that he would be excluded from the event. The British athlete, the bronze medal winner in this competition in Tokyo three years ago, then fell to the ground desperate.
