GB Swimmer Drops to the Floor in Despair as he Thrown Out of the Olympics Despite Finishing in First

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 favorite 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-meter 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 realized he would be axed from the event - then slumped to the floor in despair.

He described himself afterward as 'gutted', adding: 'It's 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 submerged during the turn, at the finish, and for a distance of not more than 15 meters 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.