BBritish swimmer Luke Greenbank, 26, was disqualified from the men’s 200m backstroke on Wednesday despite apparently coming first during the heat in which he competed.
Initially, Greenbank seemed happy with his impressive time of 1:56.08 as he exited the pool. However, when he looked at the scoreboard and saw that he had been disqualified, he fell to his knees.
” he told reporters after the event, according to Manchester Evening News. “It’s really annoying. I feel like I’m in good shape.”
Greenbank was disqualified for violating a World Aquatics rule that states athletes must not stay underwater for more than 15 meters consecutively at the start of each turn. Greenbank failed to get his head above water at the 15 meter mark during his third turn, disqualifying him from the race.
Greenbank had previously won a bronze medal in the event during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He also won a silver medal in the 4×100 m medley during the Olympic Games. The 200m backstroke was the only individual event he qualified for at the 2024 Olympics.
The top 16 that competed in the qualifiers advanced to compete in the semi-final, which took place at the end of the same day. The men’s 200m backstroke finals will take place on Thursday.
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