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
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.
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).
There is, both the US Trials and Olympic pools have a 15M marker on each lane. Most US pools do not.
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.
If you can overturn a DQ how can this not be overturned? I mean this is so obvious.
I was prepared to have to look very closely to tell if she passed it or not but immediately said “what the fck?” when I saw her go a BODY LENGTH past 15!! So obvious!!
I don’t really care about this because Osrin isn’t going to be within 2 seconds of a medal, but yeah this is poor form. Extremely obvious DQ. If this had been a medal contender that would literally be changing the podium because of poor officiating.
I don’t often criticize officials because I know how tough their job is, but c’mon, that wasn’t even close and needs to be called. I think her feet were past the 15m mark before she surfaced.
She went so far past 15m that the officials weren’t even paying attention any more. Genius.