2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
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Honey Osrin got away with one in the semi-finals of the women’s 200 backstroke.
Racing in her first Olympic evening session, the 21-year-old Brit clearly surfaced past the 15-meter mark off the start in the second semi, but was not disqualified and ended up advancing through to Friday’s final.
World Aquatics Competition Regulations SW 6.3
Backstroke:
Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race. It is permissible for the swimmer to be completely sub-merged during the turn, and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By that point the head must have broken the surface.
How did Lane 3 not get DQ’d here? #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/rSgxqqizNL
— Phil Murray (@DrSwim_Phil) August 1, 2024
The above Tweet has had video of the start removed, but you can see in the following three frames Osrin surface past the 15-meter mark:
World Aquatics also has “video judgement equipment” being used at the Olympics and World Championships.
World Aquatics Competition Regulations 16.3.9:
16.3.9 Video Judging Equipment At Olympic Games and World Championships approved Automatic Officiating Equipment, including Video Judging Equipment shall be provided and used. The approved Video Judging Equipment shall be used to initiate stroke infraction calls, confirm stroke infraction calls or assist the Referee to overturn calls made on the pool deck.
Another British backstroker, Luke Greenbank, was disqualified in the heats of the men’s 200 back for going past the 15-meter mark on Wednesday.
Osrin touched 2nd in the heat behind defending champion Kaylee McKeown, producing a time of 2:07.84 to advance 3rd overall into the final behind American Phoebe Bacon (2:07.32) and McKeown (2:07.57).
Osrin’s time marked a new lifetime best, lowering the 2:08.37 marker she established at the British Championships in April, which earned her a spot on the Olympic team.
If Osrin were to have been disqualified, France’s Emma Terebo (2:09.38) would’ve been bumped into the final as the 9th-place finisher.
Paris marks the first major international competition Osrin has competed in since the 2019 World Junior Championships, where she placed 10th in the 200 back and 15th in the 100 back.
At the 2021 British Olympic Trials, she was 3rd in the 200 back (2:11.76) and 7th in the 100 back (1:01.64). At the Trials in April, she was 4th in the 100 back in a new PB of 1:01.16 in addition to her 200 back victory.
Emma Terebo commented that the french team appealed and the referees recognized their mistake but nothing can be done. And she adds that it is what it is, she had to swim faster to qualify. What a spirit !
Even as a Brit I’ve got to say, that’s a disgrace. And as much as I want Brits in finals I also want the sport fairly officiated. That should be overturned.
I agree, but I believe that other teams can’t appeal. It can only be where one can challenge their own DQ. Totally bizarre, in my opinion.
Someone was asleep at the 15 meter mark.
If you watch her feet, there is a splash before the 15m marker, making me conclude that not “all” of her body was submerged past 15m.
Doesn’t matter if the feet splash; the head is required to surface: “It is also permissible for the swimmer to be completely submerged during the turn, and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By that point the head must have broken the surface.”
This must be due to very fast pool. She did the same number of kicks as usual and went 17m instead of 15, wow! 🚀
Makes ya wonder how many violations occur that aren’t caught on video.
Why isn’t there a line at the bottom of the pool to demarcate 15m?
edit…I realize this wouldn’t help backstrokers, just something I’ve wondered about.
Yeah IDK, I guess there’s a balance between “what is part of the skill of swimming” (timing the 15m emergence) versus “what you get a cheatsheet for” (like backstroke flags).
I don’t consider backstroke flags as a cheatsheet. I consider them a device to prevent a bunch of concussions and prevent me from having to do a bunch of paperwork for people getting those concussions.
Swimming into a concrete wall risks a concussion, doesn’t it? Not completely comparable to risking a DSQ
There is, both the US Trials and Olympic pools have a 15M marker on each lane. Most US pools do not.
not true and not what they asked haha
Not accurate. USA Swimming rules require a marker on the side of the pool at 15m for officials. Lanelines MUST have a marker at 15m for the athletes but the 15m mark on the side of the pool trumps the laneline marker in the event of a dq.
Lane line markers are a rough guide, the discs move and officials can’t use that. A fixed mark on the bottom in lieu of a false start rope makes sense.
What does a recall rope have to do with a 15m mark? Nothing
Holy cow. How could it happen? It is in Olympic semifinals, not a small invitational duel meet. If she were from China and Russia, guess NYT, USADA and FBI would start the probe to those officials’ bank accounts already.