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1 month ago
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As debate continues to rage about the supposed 'slow pool' at the Paris Olympics, it can now be revealed swimming stars from around the world almost had another reason to complain recently.
According to several poolside sources, a security guard hit the wrong button one night while leaving the venue ahead of the Games starting on July 27 - resulting in so much water being drained the level in the pool wen down by 10 to 12cm.
The pool had to be topped up with water chemicals the following day, Fairfax Media reported.
While that crisis was averted, many swimmers remain adamant the La Defense Arena pool is too shallow.
World records have been few and far between, with China's Pan Zhanle the notable exception.
He recorded a blistering time of 46.40 in the 100m freestyle to take gold on Thursday (AEST), finishing ahead of Australia's Kyle Chalmers.
While Zhanle found his way into the record books, others swimmers have insisted the pool isn't up to scratch.
'It has to be a slow pool doesn't it?' Chalmers said.
As debate continues to rage about the 'slow pool' at the Paris Olympics, swimming stars from around the world almost had another reason to moan recently following an incident involving a security guard (pictured, Leon Marchand of France)
Aussie pool queen Ariarne Titmus (right) won the 400m freestyle final - but was well outside her own world record
Mollie O'Callaghan (right) and Ariarne Titmus finished with gold and silver in the 200m freestyle final - in what has been labelled a 'slow pool' by many
'[In saying that] it's all about winning that race in the pool. Everyone has the same opportunity. Everyone has a lane.'
It comes after organisers of the Games installed a temporary 2.15m deep tank for the swimming schedule, which complies with the minimum two metre depth required.
However, it is short of the three metre standard of the past four Games.
Aussie swimming legend Giaan Rooney - who won gold and set a world record as part of Australia's 4×100m medley team at the Athens Olympics in 2004 - disagreed with the consensus the pool is a slow one.
'It's the enormity and pressure of the Olympics so all of a sudden the athletes aren't swimming for a time here we haven't seen world records being broken,' she told radio station Nova 96.9 FM.
Rooney had a supporter in American swimming legend Katie Ledecky.
'I've heard the rumblings, but at the end of the day, we are here to race,' she said.
'We are all fast swimmers, so we make the pool as fast as we want it to be and I'm not really thinking about it.'
Romanian teenage sensation David Popovici - who won gold in the 200m - wasn't interested into any conspiracy theories.
'It's just a pool,' he said bluntly. 'It's a pool like any other pool.'
English (US)