A Team GB swimming star dropped to the floor in despair after suffering Olympic heartbreak as he was thrown out of Paris 2024 despite finishing first in his race.
Luke Greenbank was disqualified from the 200m backstroke for breaking a little-known rule in the heats, having thought he was through to the semi-finals – on another otherwise-glorious day for British competitors.
The double Olympic medallist clocked a time of 1min 56sec, more than a second ahead of Hungarian favourite Hubert Kos in the French capital’s La Defense Arena.
But joy quickly turned to misery for the 26-year-old as footage showed Greenbank had swam too far underwater at the start of the race – and the 26-year-old from Crewe could not contain his emotions as the news sunk in.
The ruling denied Britain a potential third gold following stunning successes for Adam Yee in the men’s triathlon and the women’s quadruple sculls rowing team.
Greenbank fell foul of a World Aquatics rule, in place since 1988, which means swimmers are not allowed to go beyond the 15-metre mark while still underwater – and by that point the head must have broken the surface.
Greenbank looked up at the TV screens inside the arena and soon realised he would be axed from the event – then slumped to the floor in despair.
He described himself afterwards as ‘absolutely gutted’, adding: ‘It’s really annoying, I feel like I’m on good form.’
The full rule states: ‘Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race.
‘It is permissible for the swimmer to be completely sub-merged during the turn, at the finish and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn.
‘By that point the head must have broken the surface.’
The 15m rule is applied in backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events but not breaststroke.
His team-mate Ollie Morgan had no such trouble as he progressed into the semi-finals.
Greenbank previously took silver in the 4x100m medley and bronze in the 200m backstroke at Tokyo 2020 and is a former world champion in that medley event, as well as winning 4x100m gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The incident was a blip on an otherwise stunning day for Team GB, amid other medals including silver for Kieran Reilly in the freestyle BMX.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix – daughter of TV chef Fred Sirieix – and Lois Toulson earned a hard-fought bronze medal in the women’s synchronised 10m platform diving event.
The medal rush has brought Britain’s medals tally to 17 – with six golds, six silvers and five bronzes pushing Team GB up to fourth in the medal table, with the USA, and the Republic of Korea lower down.
Team GB star Yee staged a remarkable comeback in the men’s triathlon to sprint to victory in the dying stages of a tortuous race in the centre of Paris to take the first gold of the day.
Moments later he was emulated by the women’s quadruple sculls team of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw.
They claimed Britain’s first ever gold in the event by surging past the Netherlands with the final stroke to win in a photo finish.
Anderson, 26, broke down in tears and paid tribute to her late father Don who died of cancer in 2019 but had kept hold of a teenage diary in which she wrote at the age of 14 about her ambitions to win Olympic gold.
The finish was so tight that a photo finish was needed to separate the boats, but the Brits were soon celebrating on the water as the footage showed they 0.15 seconds clear of their rivals.
The quartet finished the race in a time of 6min 16.31sec, and repeated their victory in the 2023 world championships by seeing off the Dutch to claim gold.
Germany completed the podium places in 6:19.70.
‘The crew today, Georgie, Lauren and Lola were amazing,’ said Scott.
‘We played it so cool up until the end. We had the confidence, we have done so many hard miles in training.’
Their medals were presented by the Princess Royal Princess Anne, who is an International Olympic Committee member and competed for Britain in eventing at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal.
Also today Scottish athlete Beth Potter persevered through a treacherous and crash-hit women’s triathlon to take a bronze medal in her first Olympic appearance in the event.
Team GB claimed their first gold in the pool in the French capital on Tuesday night as the team of James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott successfully defended their Olympic 4x200m freestyle relay title.
There are further hopes for homegrown glory later today with Britain tipped to impress in the men’s artistic gymnastics and the woman’s canoe slalom.
Social media users were quick to comment on the sensational wins today, with one saying Team GB is ‘on a roll’.
One ‘X’ user said: ‘Hasn’t it been amazing! Mum has had no meetings this morning so has been able to have it on in the background whilst she works in the garden. Team GB are on a roll now!’
‘Team GB’s Medal Rush Morning has been fantastic’ added another.
Another said: ‘What an emotional morning in Paris. The comeback, the sportsmanship, the sheer happiness and pride on the podium. Sport, at its best!’