Rules are made to maintain decency and a fair game, but some rules do quite the opposite. Recently, US Olympian Rowdy Gaines stirred controversy with his comments regarding Owen Lloyd’s disqualification during the 1650m freestyle at the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships by the NCAA. Lloyd, a promising swimmer, faced a setback during an important NCAA event due to a technicality. 

During a recent NCAA event, the PA announcer called out that Owen Lloyd was disqualified for crossing into another swimmer’s lane during competition. Rowdy Gaines has staunchly supported the NCAA’s decision, emphasizing the need to uphold the rules of competitive swimming. Even though Owen gave a performance that broke the ceiling, it all crashed down with one decision.

The hall-of-fame ‘Rowdy Gaines’ speaks against the rule

The disqualification was unsatisfactory and equally disheartening to the fans. The speculations increased when a US Olympic Hall of Famer stepped forward. The 3-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines opposed the decision of the NCAA and posted on his X account, “Ridiculous rule and I needed to comment on it”. 

Owen Lloyd won the freestyle with a time-record of 14:37.04. This was a breakout moment for Lloyd, and he celebrated accordingly, climbing on the lane line before falling into Dant’s lane. Then, the announcer disqualified him for crossing into another swimmer’s lane during the competition. 

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The announcement was, “Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a disqualification in this event, 33 heat 4”. Furthermore, he added, “Lane 4 was disqualified for crossing into another competitor’s lane”. A scene of emotional turmoil unfolded as a devastated Lloyd collapsed to the ground. Inside the Greensboro Aquatic Center, fans expressed their disapproval with loud boos directed at the decision.

Lloyd sat down in utter shock, and shared his views on the result, “I just started crying because I was so upset that all that hard work had been kind of taken away from me by such a strange situation”. Voices were raised against the issue, saying that Rule 2.5.b need not be applied to the swimmer since he technically finished the race.

The fallout and future perspectives of Owen Lloyd

The Ross Dant also expressed his views against the decision. In an interview with the ACC Network post-race, he said, “It is the dumbest rule in swimming”. Continuing, he said, “Owen beat me fair and square”. Even the NCAA rule book does not state about lane interference after a race has finished. In the aftermath of the disqualification, Dant promised to give Lloyd the award for winning the race. 

There is a silver lining for Owen Lloyd as he remains qualified for the upcoming NCAA Championships. He is poised to showcase his talent in the 500 and 1650 free events at the national meet in Indianapolis later this month. Looking ahead, the Pac-12 Championships, fans are still in hope for Lloyd’s continued excellence in the upcoming competitions.

NCAA Swimming: Despite Facing Last-Minute DQ, Teammate Stands Up For Foul Play: “Won Fair and Square”