Distraught Team GB star disqualified from Olympics despite winning race due to little-known rule
A Team GB star has been disqualified from an event in the Olympics after he accidentally broke a rule during his heat.
Luke Greenbank had been competing in the men's 200 metre backstroke, an event in which he won the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020, and won his heat.
However, the swimmer was distraught to learn that he'd been disqualified from the event after finishing the race in first place.
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Having thought he'd booked his spot in the semi finals and got himself closer to a shot at winning another Olympic medal, Greenbank was instead left with his head in his hands as he looked up at the results board and saw that he'd been hit with a disqualification.
Video replays revealed the reason why he'll play no further part in the event.
Footage of the race showed that Greenbank had still been underwater after the 15 metre mark of the race.
The rules of swimming state that a swimmer must break the water and have part of them above the surface by the time they reach 15 metres, and they have to do this for each lap they take as well.
If you're watching the swimming at the Olympics you'll see that the blue barriers have a couple of circles of red in them a certain way into the pool.
That denotes 15 metres and the point at which a swimmer needs to have put a part of themselves above the water or face disqualification.
Speaking after the result came in, Greenbank said: "I don't know what to say, absolutely gutted.
"It's really annoying, I feel like I'm on good form."
Having posted a time of 1:56.08 he'd actually been the fastest of all competitors in the heats but that disqualification means it ended up being all for naught.
Olympics fans were gutted for the Team GB swimmer, saying it was 'brutal' and 'heart wrenching'.
Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe said it was clear 'how devastated' Greenbank was, but that the officials made the right decision as the swimmer was 'well past that mark'.
Fellow Brit Oliver Morgan, who came fifth in the same heat, made it through to the semi finals and will continue Team GB's efforts to collect a medal in this event.
As well as winning bronze in the 200 metre backstroke in Tokyo, Greenbank was also part of the Team GB squad that won silver in the 4x100 metre medley.
Team GB's current medal count - 16
Gold medallists
- Rosalind Canter, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen: Equestrian - Eventing team
- Tom Pidcock: Mountain Bike - Men's cross country
- Nathan Hales: Shooting - Men's trap
- Tom Dean, Kieran Bird, James Guy, Jack McMillan, Matthew Richards, Duncan Scott: Swimming - Men's 4x200m freestyle
- Alex Yee: Men's triathlon
- Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson, Hannah Scott and Georgina Brayshaw: Rowing - Women's quadruple sculls
Silver medallists
- Anna Henderson: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
- Adam Peaty: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
- Tom Daley and Noah Williams: Diving - Men's synchronised 10m platform
- Adam Burgess: Canoe Slalom - Men's canoe single
- Matthew Richards: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
Bronze medallists
- Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen: Diving - Women's synchronised 3m springboard
- Kimberley Woods: Canoe - Women's slalom
- Laura Collett: Equestrian - Eventing individual
- Beth Potter: Women's triathlon
- Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson: Diving - Women's synchronised 10m platform
Joe Harker