Team GB athlete was disqualified from Olympics due to unfortunate rule despite being the fastest

Swimmer Luke Greenbank knew exactly what had gone wrong as he collapsed to his knees in disappointment.

After an initial moment of joy, the Team GB athlete had his Olympic dreams crushed as he was disqualified.

It turned out Greenbank, 26, had devastatingly broken a little-known rule, despite actually winning the race.

Luke Greenbank’s Olympics journey

Greenbank, a two-time medallist at the Tokyo Games, had got himself through the 200m backstroke heats at the end of last month.

In heat four, he finished with an impressive time of 1:56:08, which was the fastest qualifying time in his group.

Luke Greenbank's Olympic journey came to an early end after he broke a little-known rule (Instagram/@lukegreenbank)

However, as Greenbank exited the pool and looked up at the screen, assuming he’d won and had bagged himself a place in the semi-finals, his delight soon soured.

It turned out he had broken a key underwater rule, which meant he’d been disqualified, ending his hopes of winning a medal in the event.

What is the Olympic underwater rule?

Greenbank had broken what’s known as the underwater rule, having swum too far underwater at the beginning of the race.

The breach meant his Olympic 2024 days were over, having his head under the water beyond the 15-metre mark at the start.

Indeed, the rule states that swimmers must only be underwater for up to 15 metres per turn, with lines clearly marked on each side of the pool.

Sadly, replays showed that Greenbank had just missed the mark, meaning he had to be disqualified.

Greenbank's joy soon turned to disappointment (MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Luke Greenbank’s reaction

After realising what had happened, he collapsed to his knees, knowing that the dream of going for gold this year was officially off the cards.

Speaking after the event, he said: "I don't know what to say, absolutely gutted.

"It's really annoying, I feel like I'm on good form."

He later took to Instagram to reflect on what happened, telling followers: "Can’t really put into words how gutted I am with yesterday’s DQ.

"Win or lose I’ve always been my own harshest critic but sometimes you’ve just got to take it as it comes. I can take pride in the fact that I know I was in great shape coming into these games after a tough few years, but this will motivate me to come back stronger."

He added: "On a lighter note, best of luck to the rest of the @teamgb athletes competing over the rest of the games."

Greenbank won bronze in the 200m backstroke at the Tokyo Games three years ago, and was also a part of the GB team that claimed silver in the 4x100m medley.