http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC120731-0000049/Late-hiccup-scuppers-Schoolings-hopes
The Singaporean was consoled by the 14-time American Olympic gold medallist after a last-minute hiccup dashed the Olympic debutante's dreams.
Minutes before his 200m butterfly heat at London Olympic Park's Aquatic Centre yesterday, Joseph was told by an official his TYR cap and goggles were not on the list of approved equipment, forcing him to scramble for replacements.
The incident affected him so much he ended up posting a poor 1min 59.18sec - a far cry from his personal best of 1:56.67 - and missed out qualifying for the event's semi-finals.
The incident provoked an angry response from Jessie Phua, Singapore's Chef-de-Mission to the London Games, who has filed an official complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC said it will pursue the matter with world swimming body FINA.
"It messed my whole game plan. I had to scramble and ask if I could (use) this or that (cap and goggles)," Joseph told reporters afterwards.
"… I was panicky. So I asked (the officials) what's my next option, and they told me they'd give me a free cap (that was approved). That made me deviate from my game plan."
The 17-year-old and his coach Sergio Lopez were unaware his TYR-branded cap and goggles were not approved.
"I'm not making any excuses, but they are telling me (so close to my race), it shocked me," said Joseph. "I just couldn't focus on my race ... It was just a very weird experience."
He finished 26th out of 36 competitors in the 200m fly. Austria's Dinko Jukic reached the semi-finals as the fastest qualifier in 1:54.79, and Phelps was the fifth fastest in 1:55.53.
Joseph's personal best time of 1:56.67 - it would have put him fourth in the United States Olympic trials earlier this month - saw him placed in the final heat, which included swimmers with the fastest times, including Phelps, Jukic and Australian Nick D'Arcy.
Not surprisingly, Phua is not letting the matter rest.
"We have been robbed. To do this to him so close to such a big race, how could he not have been affected?" Phua told TODAY.
"We will lodge a complaint. It will not change the result, but at least we want it on record that this happened."
TODAY understands the Singapore National Olympic Council and the Singapore Swimming Association had checked to ensure the equipment was legal, and sources believe the problem may be due to a mis-communication between FINA and the merchandiser on the list of approved caps and goggles.
FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu said while TYR is on the list of approved brands for swimwear for this year, it is not so for caps and goggles.
"The specifications, which is on our website, were sent to all National Olympic Committees, manufacturers and national associations, so this is very strange," he told TODAY.
When pointed out some other teams also used TYR caps and goggles, Marculescu insisted: "FINA rules are very clear. It doesn't matter which country you're from, if you are not wearing approved equipment, you cannot race."
While the inquest continues, Joseph's mother May said: "This must be sorted out quickly, because the swimmer should only be thinking about his race, not such things.
"He was very chirpy the night before, and aimed to clock about 1min 55secs. Now it's over for another four years, at least."
The 1.82m-tall teenager, a student at the Bolles School in Florida, said with the encouragement from his idol Phelps, he is determined to bounce back for Thursday's 100m fly heats.
"He looked at me and asked 'what's wrong?', and I told him what happened," said Joseph. "He gave me a hug and said I'm still young and I've got a long to way to go, just keep my head high and keep going on."
He added: "Champions don't give excuses. That's the past. I'm just going to focus and get ready for the 100m fly."
No comments:
Post a Comment