By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
27 Jul 2024, 16:34 PM EDT
This Saturday, swimmer Miguel de Lara began his participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. However, for the Mexican, this debut had a bad taste in his mouth, as he was disqualified in the 100-meter breaststroke event.
De Lara started his heat in lane four and finished the 100m in second place, which guaranteed him a place in the semi-finals of the event, but the 29-year-old swimmer was shocked when he saw on the event board that the judges had disqualified him.
Initially, the exact reason for De Lara’s elimination was not known. The athlete even told the media afterwards that “I am going to look for an explanation. I am very upset and confused. I don’t understand.”
“I went over the test in my head and I don’t understand why I was disqualified. I don’t see any fault, I don’t understand. I’m going to look for an explanation,” de Lara said in a statement to the media.
Why was de Lara disqualified?
Although the judges were not initially clear about the reason for de Lara’s elimination, the Mexican Olympic Committee informed the media shortly after of the reason for the disqualification.
Miguel de Lara allegedly performed an illegal move just before touching the platform. It was a kick that is not allowed in the breaststroke, although it is in the butterfly stroke.
A video taken at the bottom of the pool, at the moment the Mexican swimmer finished the 100m breaststroke, was enough to determine Miguel de Lara’s disqualification from the event at the Olympic Games.
“He had a different kick than in the competition, instead of doing breaststroke all the time. At one point he did the dolphin kick, like a butterfly kick, and they checked that moment and that’s when they disqualified him,” explained Mariajosé Alcalá, president of the COM.
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