If you were following along with the 2016 Victorian Open Championships, you might have thought your eyes were playing tricks on you when first examining the results.
During day 3 prelims, two backstrokers in the women’s 100m race were originally deemed disqualified, only to later be reinstated for the top two seeds. No specific details are known yet, but out of the morning heats, both Belinda Hocking and Madi Wilson drew disqualifications in the 100m backstroke event, leaving Canada’s Hilary Caldwell as the top seed.
Wilson had clocked a time of 59.84 for the only sub-minute mark of the morning, Hocking touched in 1:01.81 for the second seed, with Caldwell’s time set at 1:01.97. With Wilson and Hocking being reinstated, Caldwell gets bumped back down to the #3 seed headed into tonight’s finals.
Update: When officials returnted to the pool on Saturday, they confirmed that both disqualifications were overturned. Hocking was called originally for a false start, according to Swimming Australia, and they say that upon video review, that call was thrown out.
Wilson, meanwhile, was originally DQ’ed for being submerged past 15 meters off of her start. Upon video review, it was decided that she did come up before 15 meters. Wilson says the exact clocked distance on the video was actually 14.6 meters, meaning about 40 centimeters or just over a foot, measured based on where her head broke the surface as is the rule.
It’s so nice to be able to depend on video review to make sure people aren’t unfairly DQ’d… Now let’s start using it to make sure people aren’t getting away with cheating. Make it a rule that you cannot set a world record in breaststroke or IM without underwater footage of the pullouts being reviewed by the judges, and ultimately released to the public. I realize that this means you couldn’t set a world record at some scrub meet, so be it. That’s the situation we’re going to have to live with now that everyone is doubling up on their dolphin kicks.
Well, if the evidence shows there was a mistake made by the original official then good that it was remedied.
To the evening’s entertainment !
Swims of the night: Larkin in M200back, If ever a 1.55 looked easy, this was it. The second place-getter could secure the 2nd Rio spot but he’ll be working hard !
Wilson W100back. This morning’s disruptions certainly didn’t phase. She was well over a body length ahead and her 59.22 is certainly a strong message to young Atherton that she will not be handing over her swim in this event without one helluva battle …. and to her international competitors that she’s starting this Olympic year in prime form and means business. It may be… Read more »