Kaylee McKeown may have been robbed of an Olympic silver medal after more questions were raised over an already controversial 200m individual medley final.
The Australian swimming superstar touched fourth but won bronze when American Alex Walsh was disqualified for an illegal turn from backstroke to breaststroke.
Now the same turn by American runner-up Kate Douglass has come under fire — but, in a cruel twist for McKeown, nothing can be done to promote her to silver.
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Concerns over Walsh’s turn prompted the result to be held while officials reviewed vision before ultimately confirming the disqualification for turning onto her stomach before the touch.
It is unclear why Douglass’s turn did not also face a formal review but overhead footage has suggested the 22-year-old was lucky to avoid the same fate as Walsh.
Slow-motion vision of Douglass’s turn was blocked by a zoomed-in look at Walsh during the official video review on the live broadcast.
There is no recourse for McKeown to protest the result, meaning she must settle for the last-ditch bronze that extended her streak of winning a medal in every Olympic event she has contested.
McKeown burnished that legacy when she claimed mixed 4x100m medley relay bronze one hour after the DQ drama, and women’s 4x100m medley relay silver a day later.
Speaking on her good friend Walsh’s disqualification, Douglass did not indicate she had been concerned about her own result but said all swimmers are aware of the risks in the individual medley.
“I was just really heartbroken for her,” Douglass said.
“I feel like she deserved to win that medal, and she deserved to be on the podium with me.
“And yeah, obviously when we swim that race together, it’s fun to be on the podium together, so I was really upset for her.
“We’re both upset with it; there’s no way you can’t be. I’m upset because I don’t know if it was the right call or not, but I can’t really speak on that.
“I’m not an official, but when it comes to back-to-breast turns like that, we all have our fair share of mistakes and stuff.”
Douglass’s possible missed disqualification follows McKeown’s 200m backstroke rival Honey Osrin escaping punishment for failing to surface within 15m of the start of their semi-final.
Meanwhile, the individual medley drama adds to a growing list of controversies in the women’s event.
McKeown herself fell victim to the turn rule when she was disqualified at the world championships last year.
A protest was rejected and the decision was branded “unjust” by McKeown and Swimming Australia.
“I had a bit of a cry,” McKeown said after her next heat.
“A bit of an emotional rollercoaster but it’s sport and it’s what happens in sport. Unfortunately some people just get the bad hand and I got dealt that bad hand.
“It’s just a matter of trying to flip it into a positive. We have footage and other angles that say otherwise to what the officials saw.”
Making matters worse for McKeown there, Walsh twice escaped punishment when footage showed she had turned on her stomach before touching the wall in her semi-final and the final.
Walsh went on to win a silver medal behind gold medallist Douglass.
