The 26-year-old Crewe swimmer was visibly shocked as he looked up at the screen immediately after his race to learn his fate and looked in complete disbelief as he held his head in his hands. “It’s really annoying, I feel like I’m on good form,” he said afterwards, adding that he was “absolutely gutted”.
Greenbank, who was one of the favourites to add to Great Britain’s medal tally in the pool, had no grounds to contest the decision after replays showed he clearly remained underwater when he passed the red marker.
The full rule, which applies to the backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events but not breaststroke, stipulates: “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 metres after the start and each turn. By that point the head must have broken the surface.”
Greenbank won a silver and a bronze in the 4x100m medley and 200m backstroke respectively at the Tokyo Olympics. He was also crowned world champion in the same medley event in 2019 and followed it up with another gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
