A Team GB swimming star dropped to the floor in despair after suffering Olympic heartbreak as he was thrown out of Paris 2024 despite finishing first in his race. <br /><br />Luke Greenbank was disqualified from the 200m backstroke for breaking a little-known rule in the heats, having thought he was through to the semi-finals - on another otherwise glorious day for British competitors. <br /><br />The double Olympic medallist clocked a time of 1min 56sec, more than a second ahead of Hungarian favorite Hubert Kos in the French capital's La Defense Arena. <br /><br />But joy quickly turned to misery for the 26-year-old as footage showed Greenbank had swam too far underwater at the start of the race - and the 26-year-old from Crewe could not contain his emotions as the news sunk in. <br /><br />The ruling denied Britain a potential third gold following stunning successes for Adam Yee in the men's triathlon and the women's quadruple sculls rowing team. <br /><br />Greenbank fell foul of a World Aquatics rule, in place since 1988, which means swimmers are not allowed to go beyond the 15-meter mark while still underwater - and by that point, the head must have broken the surface. <br /><br />Greenbank looked up at the TV screens inside the arena and soon realized he would be axed from the event - then slumped to the floor in despair. <br /><br />He described himself afterward as 'gutted', adding: 'It's annoying, I feel like I'm on good form.' <br /><br />The full rule states: 'Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race. <br /><br />'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 meters after the start and each turn. <br /><br />'By that point, the head must have broken the surface.' <br /><br />The 15m rule is applied in backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle events but not breaststroke. <br /><br />His team-mate Ollie Morgan had no such trouble as he progressed into the semi-finals. <br /><br />Greenbank previously took silver in the 4x100m medley and bronze in the 200m backstroke at Tokyo 2020 and is a former world champion in that medley event, as well as winning 4x100m gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
