Greenbank Disqualified from Olympic 200m Backstroke Despite Winning Heat

British swimmer Luke Greenbank, 26, was disqualified from the men’s 200-meter backstroke on Wednesday, despite appearing to finish first in his heat.

Initially, Greenbank seemed pleased with his impressive time of 1:56.08 when he emerged from the pool. However, upon seeing the scoreboard and discovering his disqualification, he was visibly upset.

” he told reporters after the event, . “It’s really annoying. I feel like I’m on good form.”

Greenbank was disqualified for violating a World Aquatics rule which states that swimmers must at the beginning of each turn. Greenbank failed to get his head above the water by the 15-meter mark during his third turn, resulting in his disqualification from the race.

Greenbank had previously won a bronze medal in the event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He also earned a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley during those Olympic Games. The 200-meter backstroke was the only individual event he had qualified for in the 2024 Olympics.

The top 16 finishers from the heats advanced to the semifinals, which took place later the same day. The finals for the men’s 200-meter backstroke will be held on Thursday.