Did you happen to see Ryan Lochte's gold medal swim in the 200 IM in Kazan at the World Championships? Well, you likely won't see his technique in the freestyle portion of the IM ever again as FINA ruled it illegal...
Turns out Lochte is faster streamlining on his back so he and his coach devised a plan for him to come off of the breaststroke portion of the IM on his back and swim the first 15 meters underwater while on his back. Of course, there's no question that this is a legal technique in both the Freestyle and Backstroke individual events. But there was some question as to whether the officials at World's would decide that he was swimming backstroke during the freestyle portion of the IM, which would be illegal. He gambled and the call was not made and he won his fourth consecutive World title in the event.
Enter FINA. FINA's rationale is that backstroke is defined by a swimmer traveling lying on his/her back. So, in underwater kicking on his back, Lochte, according to FINA, was technically swimming backstroke for the first 15 meters of his freestyle portion of the IM; a violation of the IM rules which require 4 distinct strokes.
Shouldn't be long before USA Swimming adopts a similar interpretation. Stay tuned.
Would you have considered his swimming underwater on his back for 15 meters as backstroke?
Yes. Freestyle requires a forward start. When his feet left the wall, and therefore he had completed turning in any manner, he should have assumed a freestyle position.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that's actually what FINA was concerned about. Turning in any manner is still OK but he swam for 15 meters on his back so their conclusion was that he had adequately demonstrated that he was doing backstroke, a stroke he had already swum. Had he come off the wall toward his back but quickly turned toward his breast we would likely not be having this conversation. It's the point at which you can say that s/he is swimming backstroke that determines that s/he is repeating a stroke already swum.
ReplyDeleteBe that as it may, Bob, he swam backstroke from where I sit. Backstroke is defined as swimming on your back. Freestyle, requires a forward start (and little else). (I am not looking for freestyle DQ facts here, I know that theyre are ways to DQ) He finished breaststroke legally, and re-swam backstroke for 25 meters. Regardless of where you hang your hat, illegal strart or illegal orientation, he swam backstroke in my opinion.
DeleteI don't dispute that he was swimming backstroke for 15 meters. Only that a forward start to the freestyle is not required to begin the freestyle leg.
DeleteI agree with Christie. Freestyle requires a forward start. IM transitions follow finish rules of prior stroke and start rules of the next stroke. That should have been the DQ - that he didn't leave the wall towards the breast.
ReplyDeleteWith FINA's new interpretation, does this mean someone is swimming fly during the IM if they kick fly for up to the first 15 meters of freestyle in an IM? Under FINA's current bad logic, that should also be a DQ.
This was a terrible interpretation by FINA!
Hmmmm. Finishing rules, yes. But there is only one start to a race. Where does it say that start rules apply?
DeleteOK - I agree with you on not being a start rule, but there is still the question of does a fly kick for 15 meters imply you are swimming fly? Maybe they should have defined a start rule in this case?
DeleteI hold that the butterfly kick alone is not butterfly. When swimming butterly, at the start or after each turn, underwater one is permitted one arm pull and multiple leg kicks. If the swimmer has taken one arm pull and one or more kick underwater, then the swimmer has swam in the butterfly manner, violating the rule. If one merely kicks, it is not butterfly.
DeleteI found Christie's point very interesting! I had to go to the rule book to review 101.6. There is nothing specified in that rule about the starts of the intermediate legs (ie, the rule only specifies how the turns have to be done and there is nothing about being on the breast at the start of the freestyle leg; the rule only also specifies the stroke and again, nothing in the freestyle about being on the breast). Therefore, I don't think I can accept Christie's ruling. Thanks, though, Christie, because I had read the rule and think about this!
ReplyDeleteI would not have issued a DQ. I would liken this to a swimmer making the turn and streamlining on his breast using only a fly kick and no arms. That is a legal butterfly swim and a legal fly IM leg, but we have all agreed in the past that it is not considered swimming butterfly when leaving the wall for the freestyle leg of the IM. We've considered it a streamline off the wall and not the "stroke". So I don't see how what Lochte did was different.
That said, I can see FINA's interpretation. This speaks to the fact that the rules are open to varying interpretations and the main thing is that we all accept and apply the same interpretation in fairness to the swimmers.
Thanks, Bob, for keeping us in the loop on this one!