UPDATE: Lilly King 200 Breast Disqualification Upheld by Jury of Appeal; Won’t Swim 200 Breast

lilly-king-100-breast-prelims-2019-world-championships_4
Lilly King was disqualified in the 200 breast heats for a one-hand touch. Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

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World Swimming Championships (Lilly King)

Gwangju 2019

Day 5 Heats (Women’s 200 breaststroke)

UPDATE: USA’s Lilly King’s disqualification in the 200 breast was sent to a jury of appeal before Thursday’s finals session at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The jury maintained the disqualification, sources have told Swimming World.

King initially won her 200 breast heat on Thursday morning at the 2019 FINA World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. King swam a solid 2:24.56 but wound up disqualified, allegedly for a non-simultaneous touch on the first turn. USA Swimming lodged a formal protest for the disqualification but the DQ was solidified. King will not swim the 200 breast semifinal.

King was expected to renew her rivalry with Russia’s Yulia Efimova in the 200 breast, as the women went gold-silver earlier in the meet in the 100 breast. But King’s disqualification will put the next chapter in that duel on hold until the 50 breaststroke. While King met a difficult fate, Canada’s Sydney Pickrem earned the top seed for the semifinals, thanks to a prelim time of 2:24.53. South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker was second-fastest, going 2:24.66. Pickrem has enjoyed a few idle days after opening the competition with a bronze medal in the 200 individual medley.

King was a popular gold medal selection in the 200 breast as she was looking to become the first man or woman to win the 50, 100 and 200 of any stroke at the same World Championships. She already won the 100 breast on Tuesday night in Korea for her second World title in the event. She was fourth in Budapest two years ago in the 200 breast and has the third fastest time in the world this year.

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Dee Torr
5 years ago

Oh good

Lori
Lori
5 years ago
Reply to  Dee Torr

Why is it “good” to watch someone who has worked so hard get DQ’d? Have some compassion.

Mlungisi Mluh Christopher Cingo

Oh no

Julie McNeilage
5 years ago

Looks 2 hands to me

Lori
Lori
5 years ago

What does that possibly, sensibly, mean?

Jacqui Farber
5 years ago

2 hands….. Her touch is 2 hands, it’s REAL FAST, dont blink. But that’s what makes her the Champion. Hope they do right by her.

Jacqui Farber
5 years ago
Reply to  Jacqui Farber

Also, look how the official is standing… he should be leaning over the gutter to see clearer, like official in lane 6

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5 years ago
Reply to  Jacqui Farber

so, they have an underwater camera that is there only for the benefit of the swimmer. If it was a fair turn, surely, surely they’d have called it as such – no?

Sarolta Lukácsné Pócsföldi
Reply to  Jacqui Farber

Jacqui Farber exactly, and even when she turned there was no reaction from the judge. If there’s a problem you can see from the judge’s body language believe me.

Julie Caddy
5 years ago
Reply to  Jacqui Farber

Jacqui Farber totally agree

Alberta Haynes-Carlson

Insane!

Louise Holden
5 years ago

Both hands?!? Not Fingers Not sure, looks a light touch to me….if at all – may have been finger tips of one hand – not enough!!!

Sean Abbey
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

Louise Holden finger tips are all that need to touch

Louise Holden
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

Mmm simultaneously.

Kristine Murphy Grim
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

Louise Holden brush touch, totally legal. Judge can’t see it. ?

Louise Holden
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

We aren’t close enough to see if simultaneously brushed. Respect the judge.

David
David
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

What? Not enough?

Rob Robson
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

Louise Holden it’s ambiguous on a phone screen. Close call.

Julie Caddy
5 years ago
Reply to  Louise Holden

Judge wasn’t really looking

Colleen Hazlett
5 years ago

Looks like two hands. She’s really fast but there a slight hitch to the turn that would happen when dropping that left hand to turn.

Khaled Mostafa
5 years ago

Ali Mohab helww faskhhhh

Melissa Duguay
5 years ago

Rob Duguay.. what is happening to team USA over there?

Alexander B Gallant
5 years ago

She touched with both hands. The ref was inexperienced in judging breaststroke. When you approach the wall in breaststroke you touch with two hands and then push off with one hand not two hands,why? That’s how you turn into your stroke off the wall quickly, get you legs in position to push off the wall! Touch with two, push with one!

Shada Ziegler
5 years ago

That is unfortunate…there were 2 hands on that turn, it was just a very very fast turn.

Brett Davies
5 years ago

She touched with both hands according to the video. A very bad call

R Marie Brickl
5 years ago

Giulia Brickl

Jaclyn Kile
5 years ago

Stacy Skeen Kirkpatrick how sad!

Jill Purdy
5 years ago

I see two hands.

Dawn Price
5 years ago

Yep she definitely turned with both hands !

Bob Lange
5 years ago

Tough call. At least it did not happen at the Olympic trials.

Janine Bcreations
5 years ago

Both hands!!

Christian Kruse
5 years ago

Janine Bcreations I agree!!!

Leonard Posa
5 years ago

Janine Bcreations you cant really see it from here. They should have cameras over at the referees

Janine Bcreations
5 years ago

Leonard Posa definitely especially with all the technology in today’s world. I screenshot the video from the article.

Meredith Roberts
5 years ago

They have underwater cameras to confirm or overturn disqualifications.

J David Hillery
5 years ago

Leonard Posa the cameras are under water. Timing is overhead. If the call is upheld by an underwater referee then the camera confirmed the call made by the deck official.

Nick Cittadino
5 years ago

Janine Bcreations it’s impossible to tell from this angle. It does look like the official isn’t looking as far over the deck as she should be though.

Justin Sabourin
5 years ago

When you post a screenshot and I can see her one hand leading the other. It’s not whether she touched with two hands it’s whether she did one after the other. I think it’s a good call. All of you calling out FINA on this is also so sad and pathetic. This gets called quite often. At Canadian Nationals our girl one with the best time in the world. Got DQ’d for the same thing. I can tell you she didn’t have a roar of fans complaining. She moved on and get the job done in her next event

Nick Cittadino
5 years ago

Justin Sabourin just stop…if FINA could give us all a reason to STOP calling them out that would be great…

Dee Torr
5 years ago

Nick Cittadino That was my point as well. Did she really have a good vantage view? That part is questionable.

Jerry Tennison
Jerry Tennison
5 years ago
Reply to  Dee Torr

US swim official here – it’s much less about the official making the call than the video review process that upheld the call. Until you see that video, you can’t really intelligently comment on phone video from above where the view is degraded by disturbed water

Sara Kent
5 years ago

Damian Bawden ?

Mattias Löwe
5 years ago

I smell ??

Richard Willmore
5 years ago

Bad decision…FINA

Gary
Gary
5 years ago

Politics at it’s worse Lily complained and Fina screwed her

Gary Toner
5 years ago

Not deserved FINA fails in so many levels

Shelley Taylor-Smith
5 years ago
Reply to  Gary Toner

Gary Toner ouch!

John Dussliere
5 years ago

This is part of the sport. Facebook Cowboys, you may dismount.

Ricki Stein
5 years ago

I see 2 hands, too. Why would someone feel they need to exert power/self-importance over that? Pathetic.

Angela Michelle van Heerden

Ah man! What a bad call.

Mervyn Mayer
5 years ago

Ang, they would have gone to the underwater cameras for the objection and maybe from that there was definite evidence. From the angle of the footage shown in this article there is no way people can be 100% sure she touched simultaneously. The judge must have had a clearer view overhead.

Isabella Vegas von G
5 years ago

Absolute BS

Zoue Sefton
5 years ago

Vanessa Sefton Rebekah Sefton

Tammy Lane Evans
5 years ago

The question always goes to the swimmer… I saw two hands.. ?

Ann Belew O'Brien
5 years ago

Wow! I saw two hands and then she dropped after she touched. Terrible call

Suze Fila Couchon
5 years ago

Shameful! What country does the official represent that mad the horrific call?!?!?!?! What a disgrace to allow the call to stand, with video confirming a LEGAL touch!!

Lori Antolick
5 years ago

Absolute BS call. Lilly is a FIGHTER. That girl just refuses to lose. That was a simultaneous touch.

Mike McHenry
5 years ago
Reply to  Lori Antolick

Lori Antolick yeah…I want her in my Foxhole when the going gets tough. Ton of fight in her!

Shawn Walsh
5 years ago

Maybe this will humble her a bit or will she make a spectacle of it?

Greg Smart
5 years ago
Reply to  Shawn Walsh

Clown

Shawn Walsh
5 years ago
Reply to  Shawn Walsh

Greg Smart I hope that’s not referring to me, but she could easily make the best of this situation or go down a different path!

Nick Cittadino
5 years ago
Reply to  Shawn Walsh

Shawn Walsh does she have a history of “making a spectacle” of things?

Korinda Walls
5 years ago

FINA is really doing a great job this year with their calls. WOW. ?‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️

Tracy A Bodenheimer
5 years ago

??‍♀️

Stephanie Burruano Bruzgul

I see two ????

Sarah Sigeti Jahnke
5 years ago

Stephanie Burruano Bruzgul this is so crazy. I see two also!

Eric Ye
5 years ago

I saw two hands
This is shame ?

Agatha Chan
5 years ago
Reply to  Eric Ye

Eric Ye that’s very shame.

Alan Loya
5 years ago

Seems like a personal revenge from FINA, based in the fact that Lilly has been against the corruption in this organization. FINA sucks! Especially because it protects a swimmer like Sun Yang.

Andrew Webber
5 years ago
Reply to  Alan Loya

Alan Loya spot on

Carla Thornewell
5 years ago

Fran Baldwin

Andy Gallion
5 years ago

FINA going the FIFA route

Madison Trout
5 years ago

John Trout did you see this ??

John Trout
5 years ago
Reply to  Madison Trout

I read about it on Facebook.

Elaine Dawson
5 years ago

This looks like a legal turn timed to perfection. Bad call from the officials!

Eric P Johnson
5 years ago

Terrible call especially at such a high level meet

Patsy Patterson Martin

Something is fishy. Looks like the world is out to get the American team. But we know an Olympics is coming up and we will be ready.

Dina Hamsa Soltys
5 years ago

Patsy Patterson Martin exactly?

Michelle Scofield Schröder

Patsy Patterson Martin I actually found there to be a lot of DQ’s in this competition. Including Danas Rapsys of Lithuania and I believe a Polish male swimmer whose name escapes me. If something fishy is going on then I don’t see how it’s aimed at only American athletes.

Laurie J Marrical
5 years ago

I saw 2 hands simultaneously touch the wall. Bad call.

Elizabeth Taylor
5 years ago

Sara Stacy

Erin Sheehan
5 years ago

Ann Marie what do you think?

Nick Cittadino
5 years ago

Need underwater cameras with indisputable views for Tokyo. There’s better camera angles in minor league baseball parks…

Dorene Bunnell
5 years ago

OMG, I see both her hands hit the Wall. Bad call.

MK Mahoney
5 years ago

Well that is too bad. This is turning into white a controversial meet.

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