EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017
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Italy appealed the results of Thursday’s mixed 4×50 medley relay after the team’s coach says the backstroke starting wedge gave way under leadoff man Simone Sabbioni, though the appeal was ultimately rejected.
SwimSwam’s Giusy Cisale spoke to Italian head coach Cesaro Butini, who said that the wedge gave out under Sabbioni during the relay final Thursday night. Here is a rough translation of Butini’s quote:
“Part of the device support gave way. This created a moment of discomfort and a problem for the athlete who completely lost his support. He could not therefore give the right push for departure.
In my opinion there was a problem of non-intervention by a judge. There the only possible solution is that there must have been a timely intervention by the judge to stop the race and it was not done.
At the end of the race we made sure of this with video footage and also talking with the athletes. We had the certainty that this disadvantaged the athlete and we immediately resorted to the TSC (Technical Swimming Comittee) Commission, which was present in the pool floor.
The appeal was ultimately rejected based on a lack of proof that equipment malfunction negatively impacted the start. But Butini said that the next morning, a new “security system” had been equipped to the backstroke starting wedges to better lock the wedge into place.
Italy ultimately finished 8th in the mixed medley relay final, with Sabbioni’s 24.96 backstroke split coming in well behind the top male backstrokers in the field. (Other splits for men were 22.89, 22.94, 22.94 and 24.25). Italy was 1.68 seconds out of bronze and 1.72 out of gold
Another kind of related story. I was coaching at an age group CBA meet a couple years ago and the flags broke and fell in the pool at the 400 yard mark in a 500 free. They had the whole heat swim again like 20 minutes later. I had 4 kids in the heat, I was pissed lol
This was in 2005 I think, but I had a teammate break a block in finals in the 50 meter free at summer sectionals. So that does happen.
This was after they enacted the rule where they stopped races for false starts, but the refs did catch it when it happened, and they used the multiple beeps while the swimmers were still in the air to stop the heat.
It is kind of hard to stop heats like that nowadays so I think a fair solution would be to have the swimmer go again but swim alone. Sucks, but this way the other swimmers wouldn’t have to swim again, and the effected swimmer would get another chance.
With the Italy… Read more »
that was my only idea as well, even if its a bit weird
Ps same thing happened in a swim-off for a National team spot in Italy last year or 2 years past and they did repeat the race.
Did they have everyone in the heat swim again?
just the two (it was a swim-off)
Sabbioni splitted a 23 something in his 100 back at the same meet. No way he would split a 24 high in a 50 if there wasnt something wrong with the wedge. They did not want to redo the race, that’s It.
…”if there wasn’t something wrong with the wedge” . I can list a few other reasons…..
(1) athlete lost concentration
(2) Athlete slipped on footing
(3) athlete cramped up
(4) athlete was exhausted
(5) YES, equipment failure (wedge, strap, placing of wedge by official)
(6) distraction from crowd
(7) faulty starting equipment (strobe, beep, etc)
let’s not be senile and think there is ONLY one possible reason here Luigi, be a lliiiiiiitttllle more open-minded then that.
Yes, considering the video evidence o this particular race we can cross off 6 and 7 but the others are harder to cross off from video evidence.
you are assuming he lied to his coach and teammates. also, did you see underwater footage? honest question. I did not.
he wasn’t making assumptions he was simply giving other ways in which Sabbioni would not give the same performance after you stated that the only reason he went slower was because of the wedge
NO, I am not assuming he lied to his coach. I am objectively analyzing the video. I have yet to find an underwater shot but like you, I am very curious to see one.
I wonder what would happen if during the final of the men’s 50, Vlad’s block gave way during his start causing him to go 1-2 secs slower? Isn’t it the same thing as the wedge giving way? I bet it would be a much bigger deal.
(1) that will never happen (2) it is very evident to see when a block gives way and not so much for a wedge (3) Wedges can be incorrectly installed easily (I know from experience) where as I have yet to see an incorrectly installed diving block
I see the angle you’re going with this…
Anything can happen. I’m just wondering what would be done, if anything, if it did happen. Can you imagine it happening to Phelps at the Olympics in 2008? I’m sure Bowman and USA wouldn’t cause a major uproar.
I didn’t see the video of the backstroker, but let’s say it was clear that the wedge broke, is there a protocol as far as what is done after? My guess is there isn’t. Tough luck.
I dont buy into the “anything can happen” crowd. I’m more reasonable than that.
If it was phelps or a no name the same problem exists and I just disagree with your analogy of comparing it to a diving block. A better comparison would be the diving fin/wedge on top of the block if I were you. Let’s be reasonable here, has anyone ever seen a block fall apart on a dive in competition? I have seen some flimsy blocks but they were always repaired or condemned before a disaster happened.
again, you could of used a much better analogy is my point.
also wouldn’t have happened in 2008 because there was no wedge on the back of the blocks, if you slip that’s on you and not everyone else. The only thing I will say is that there have been a ton of slips at this meet with the backstroke wedges in place which is very strange to see.
A ton? Care to elaborate? The article specifies one instance and one other er comment mentions others…..
in the final of the 200 back the #1 seed also slipped on the start and there was a polish swimmer in heats of the 100 back that slipped and also seemed to have a problem with the wedge. So in total it’s three instances that I can recall, with two of them in finals. Maybe a “ton” was the wrong word but it seems like too many given the caliber of the swimmers at the meet. I’ve been to dozens of meets since the wedge came out and only seen 2 instances of swimmers slipping with the wedge and that’s at dozens of age group meets over the last few years
Of course the appeal was rejected. FINA is sponsored by Omega and Omega is trying to monopolize the market on timing equipment — most recently with their NCAA deal which requires Omega equipment to be used at all NCAA championship events. Their wedge is a lousy product and had FINA granted the Italian protest it would have highlighted this problem.
Hopefully, the wedge design is improved to avoid this happening much more.
what is the flaw you think they need to fix? this is the first instance of a problem with the wedge I have seen since it’s inception.
First: This is not a FINA event.
Second: This is not Omega equipment.
I would have been more than happy if they had used Omega products instead.
They use Microplus Timing here in Copenhagen, which is an Italian company. The blocks and backstroke ledges were handmade just for this event. There were quite a few incidents of ledge malfunction in the backstroke races (I.e. 200 back men’s final). In the morning, most of the swimmers were allowed to re-swim, not though in the evening. The ledges have been modified during the competition to reduce the probability of malfunction…
All pretty bad for the swimmers, as the original design clearly was not as sturdy as it needs to be in order to deal with the force elite backstrokers can generate…
Btw, LEN President Barelli seems to be involved in Microplus…
sounds like an excuse to me. his start looks perfectly fine in the picture above. no malfunction apparent.
Sabbioni was in lane 8. for the medley relay, i.e an external lane.
No relation with the picture above
you should have seen the start. it was heartbreaking to look at, seriously.
massive respect to him for actually going a 24.9 after a complete dead start.
i watched the “start” multiple times back and would guess he would have been more than 2 full seconds faster if the start went right.
which means the italians would have won the gold by a quite a margin.
(also im neither italian, nor particularly a big fan of italian swimming, so this is my unbiased opinion)
Unfortunate for Italy, but this was the right call. You can’t redo a race after it has finished.
Is there video? If wedge broke before the race, I think it is on the swimmer to alert the officials. If it broke on the start, you can’t expect the race to be stopped because one swimmer had a bad start.
That’s what they do for false starts though…
No… That’s what they USED To do for false starts. Now the swimmer is simply DQ’d and the race continues as is.
If the block fell down as u dove in they would have a restart I bet
I’m not sure if everyone can watch this video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6boa5a?collectionXid=x55f5q but at 2 hours and 14 mins you can see the Italian clearly slip at the start. It’s not clear whether it’s human error or a problem with the equipment though but how likely is it for someone to slip on the wall whilst using a backstroke starting wedge?
Yes definitely something wrong on the start there, clearly see him slip down the wall and not propel himself away
Thanks for the link to the video. I agree it is clear he slipped, but unclear there was equipment malfunction. I looks like the swimmer is not properly focusing on his start, as he takes up the starting position he glances across at the other swimmers. At the “take your marks” command he pulls himself up very high. I would say the slip is more than likely due to poor technique.
A couple years ago, Elizabeth Beisel slipped on her start for the 200 back. Obvious – like, zero forward motion slip.
There was no wedge or equiment malfunction, but still – should the officials have restarted the race, just in case her bad start was because of a slippery/faulty/broken pad?
No. They shouldn’t have. It sucks, but it’s part of life and you have to roll with it.