2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
- Budapest, Hungary
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Swimming in the semifinals of the women’s 200 free on Monday in Budapest, Canadian Penny Oleksiak was disqualified for a false start.
The 22-year old, who won a bronze medal in this event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, tied as the 3rd-best time in prelims of the event in the morning session in 1:57.22. After a number of high-profile withdrawals from the event or the meet altogether, including Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus, Olympic silver medalist Siobhan Haughey, and Katie Ledecky, Oleksiak was a big favorite to win a medal here in Budapest.
Instead, in the first heat of the women’s 200 free semi-final on Monday afternoon, she was disqualified for a flinch on the block. Below, the flinch can be clearly seen by Oleksiak in Lane 5, wearing a black cap and a red suit. It does sound like there was a noise before the start, though on video it echoes in the distance.
Oleksiak wound up touching in what appeared to be a 1:58, 8th in her heat in a time that would not have advanced to the final. It did appear, though, that coming off the last turn, she may have shut her race down, perhaps realizing that she had flinched.
Oleksiak owns a total of 7 Olympic medals, including individual gold in the 100 free from the Rio 2016 Games, where she tied American Simone Manuel. While she is the owner of three individua Olympic medals, she doesn’t have any individual World Championship medals in long course, tending to do her best swimming in Olympic years. She was 6th in the 100 free at the Gwangju World Championships in 2019.
Oleksiak has remaining entries in the 100 free, where she’s the 2nd remaining seed behind only Australia teen Molly O’Callaghan, plus several Canadian relays. She already anchored Canad’as 400 free relay to a silver medal on day 1 of the meet, with a 52.51 split that was the team’s fastest.
It was more exciting with false starts. At least we have coloured suits again. Not everything new is better.
It was a big mistake for her to shut it down because she knew she flinched. Elite coaches and swimmers know what to say to appeal a false start at big meets. At least give it a try. Noise in the stands, flash, other swimmer made a sound, etc. There are plenty of potential arguments that require very little evidence. Unfortunately, because she completed the race there is no reason for the meet referee to offer a re-swim.
They would never re-swim a 2free at worlds and if they did anyone redoing it wouldn’t win the final. Its one of the most brutal events to do and hardest to recover from. She has other events as well she made the right call.
Nicolo M. was rolling on his 50 breaststroke start. He never got set. The starter so far has been too fast and this allows for more rolling starts and anticipation.
It was more pronounced during the NBC coverage. Rowdy was babbling but you could hear the sudden noise in the background. Difficult to tell but it sounded like it could have been a baby or child…”aaahhh.”
The reason it stood out was that the arena became very quiet in the seconds preceding.
Oleksiak definitely shut it down. I was wondering why the commentators weren’t mentioning it as the big name race favorite drifted to last place.
There’s a chance that announcers missed the twitch. If you’ve ever watched them at a meet, they have tons of monitors and stuff in front of them, lots of information being fed in, and it’s entirely possible that they were looking at monitors and not the blocks – which 99/100 is probably the best place for them to be looking at that moment.
I had to watch a replay to see the twitch even though it was very obvious because I wasn’t paying attention until the gun went so no surprise busy commentators would miss it.
I wasn’t surprised they missed the twitch. I missed it live, although it was very obvious on replay. In the finals thread I noticed that many commenters here picked up on it immediately.
Given the defections in this race I was surprised the announcers didn’t focus on Oleksiak faltering so badly late, regardless of the reasoning.
I’ve been in press row countless times, albeit decades ago. There are certainly tons of distractions like public relations people handing you a last second memo, etc. Actually I think it’s impressive that the on-air talent does such a good job paying attention to exactly what the audience is seeing.
Yeah I was looking away when it happened, but most of the SwimSwam staff noticed it live.
That’s a good point – even without noticing the twitch, it still seems like it would’ve been something to take note of. Something like “now all three Olympic medalists from last year will be out of the final.”
The Australian commentators saw the twitch and mentioned her shutting it down.
The Australian commentators were straight on it- called the DQ before she hit the water!
Me if I was in the stands:
https://youtu.be/UYNuTmuZUC4
She confirmed in an interview with CBC that she knew she false started before she hit the water.
Adrenaline might have made her go out fast before reality kicked in and she realized there was no point.
Although I remember my age-group coach always telling us to go full-speed even if we think we false started just in case no one caught it!
Your coach was right and I teach the same thing to age groupers…but at this level the technology makes it impossible for a false start to be missed.
There was a loud noise just before the flinch. The starter should have stood them up, called for quiet, and restarted. At this meet the starter has been too fast
Ambient noise. They can’t stand for those.
At the Olympics I have seen them stand for camera activity.
Didn’t they step down swimmers at 2012 London Olympics in 1500 free mens final for noise in stands?
yes
He’s been very quick. Watch the Women’s 100 back final. Lane 1 didn’t even have a chance to pull herself up to her starting position.