ATHENS, Greece, October 26. IF you think the dolphin kick of Japan's Kosuke Kitajima at the 2004 Olympics was bad, wait until you see the efforts of Greek breaststroker Romanos Alyfantis. Simply put, the Greek swimmer is violating the FINA rulebook with each stroke. And, officials have been allowing Alyfantis to get away with it.
As a refresher, the 100-meter breaststroke final at the Athens Games will be remembered more for its controversy than for the gold medal that went to Kitajima over American Brendan Hansen. Although the dolphin kick was illegal at the time, Kitajima blatantly used the maneuver off the start and turn and beat Hansen to the wall. In part, Kitajima's efforts – along with those of some others – convinced FINA to change the rules and allow a single dolphin kick off the start and turn.
However, the Greek swimmer in question, as the video shows, utilizes a dolphin kick throughout his race. Yes, the whole way. He has clocked a best time of 1:00.37, more than a second off the world record of Hansen, but a quality time nonetheless. And, considering only three men in history have cracked a minute in the event, Alyfantis would be a medal contender in international competition if he eluded disqualification for his tactics.
The FINA rulebook clearly states that the breaststroke requires outward-turned feet leading into the kicking motion of the stroke.
Alyfantis clearly dolphin-kicks with every stroke. Again, go to the video.
Let's hope in the upcoming months, or whenever the Greek is in action, he'll be called for a violation by the officials overseeing the meet. With the Olympics approaching quickly, there's no room for this charade to again rise up.