"Throughout the race" in this context means the distance between the 15m mark and the turn (or finish)--that distance you must be on the surface. So some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water at all times in that zone.
That being said, it doesn't have to be much that is breaking the surface of the water, and for the judge to make the call, they have to be certain that the swimmer is completely submerged. For me, you'd have to be submerged quite deeply for me to be certain. Otherwise, how do I know that a wave didn't break over the swimmer (inadvertent submergence) or a toe isn't breaking the surface of the water?
It is an interesting point that I didn't think of. I would think that most breaststrokers probably would not be submerged deeply enough or for long enough to make a judge certain. The positioning of the judge in question also is key. A turn judge would have almost zero chance of making this call; a stroke judge would have a little better chance, but they probably are only watching the 15m marks.
Patrick King
"Throughout the race" in this context means the distance between the 15m mark and the turn (or finish)--that distance you must be on the surface. So some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water at all times in that zone.
That being said, it doesn't have to be much that is breaking the surface of the water, and for the judge to make the call, they have to be certain that the swimmer is completely submerged. For me, you'd have to be submerged quite deeply for me to be certain. Otherwise, how do I know that a wave didn't break over the swimmer (inadvertent submergence) or a toe isn't breaking the surface of the water?
It is an interesting point that I didn't think of. I would think that most breaststrokers probably would not be submerged deeply enough or for long enough to make a judge certain. The positioning of the judge in question also is key. A turn judge would have almost zero chance of making this call; a stroke judge would have a little better chance, but they probably are only watching the 15m marks.
Patrick King
