2016 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
- Sunday, June 26 – Sunday, July 3, 2016
- CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska
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The “Lochte Rule” is being heavily enforced at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. 2015 Junior National Teamer and YMCA National Champion Savanna Faulconer of Y-Spartaquatics fell victim in the 400 IM earlier this morning, getting disqualified for coming off towards her back on a freestyle turn. Faulconer is an incoming freshman at the University of Florida.
Last November, FINA, citing the rule that only allows the backstroke to be swum on one leg of an IM, ruled that coming off a freestyle wall closer to the backstroke axis does constitute backstroke swimming, and thus is not a legal technique in the IM races.
You can read an in-depth analysis of the Lochte Rule here.
Colleen Callahan and Lauren Edelman were also disqualified for freestyle infractions in top flight prelims this morning.
Going into 400 IM finals, Sarah Henry of Aggie Swim Club sits first with 4:36.93, followed by Elizabeth Beisel of Bluefish (4:37.61), Bethany Galat of Texas A&M (4:38.39), Maya DiRado (4:38.54), and Caitlin Leverenz (4:39.55).
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This is such an injustice. This rule needs to change. I get the concept but needs to come to a common ground. We allow bleeping butterfly dolphin kick on breaststroke pullout a but not someone doing a flip turn, which your natural somersault is to your back. At least amend the rule to be something like “must be on freestyle axis” before flags” or “before first kick”. Such crock
Looks like multiple DQs from the same lane. Bummer to be in lane 9 this morning. That rule is DEFINITELY not called consistently across the board.
Another lane 9 – on the freestyle turn – Heat 7. Sorry Solie. You got robbed.
“Lochte rule heavily enforced”
But
Why tho
Because it will be enforced at the Olympics.
Kids are and will get deeked for simply being past vertical the moment their feet leave the wall – like on a breast turn. It’s not like they’re trying to rock fly kicks on their back. Only very few officials call it ridiculously close, but it only takes 1. It’s not uniform at all.
Ridiculous. Swimmers come up with something new, and are penalized for it.
I don’t get it. “Freestyle” is exactly what it says – “any style”. You should be able to swim a full race on your back if you want.
FINA and USA Swimming have clarified the freestyle in the IM rule. They’ve determined that pushing off on the back during the freestyle leg of the IM or Medley Relay is doing backstroke, which violates the section where a swimmer must swim only 1/4 of the race stroke. By pushing off on the back the swimmer is swimming more than 1/4 of the race backstroke.
Swimmers can do any style in just freestyle events as long as the head surfaces throughout the race.
I’m pretty sure freestyle in the IM can be anything except one of the previously swum strokes.
If the justification for this rule is that each stroke must only be 1/4 of the IM, then shouldn’t being able to roll over onto your stomach in the back to back turn offset pushing off the wall on your back for free to free turns? The breast to free turn would still apply the rule, but that also applies to open turns for fly and breast, so there is not much difference in those motions.