This question has come up offline so I thought I'd post the question to find out the rule about this transitional turn between the IM's back and *** since I no longer do IMs.
Years ago, a flip turn between back and *** was allowed; it was not the new "freestyle" back turn, a swimmer could touch the wall in backstroke, and then flip over to enter the breastroke. Now I believe more swimmers are backstroking into the wall and open turning into the breaststroke portion of the IM.
For all of you Im'ers out there, what is now legal: both turns or does a swimmer have to do an "open turn"?
Donna
On the last backstroke stroke, he crosses the hand over his head to the opposite side of his body, touches AND gets a big breath just like an open turn, but then he flips sideways and pushes off on his stomach nice and deep and ready for his breaststroke pullout.
I don't think he's crossing his arm over. If you watch closely (I guess you'll need to watch a 1,001st or 1,002nd time :)) his arm touches without crossing over then he immediately drops the opposite shoulder and flips.
On the last backstroke stroke, he crosses the hand over his head to the opposite side of his body, touches AND gets a big breath just like an open turn, but then he flips sideways and pushes off on his stomach nice and deep and ready for his breaststroke pullout.
I don't think he's crossing his arm over. If you watch closely (I guess you'll need to watch a 1,001st or 1,002nd time :)) his arm touches without crossing over then he immediately drops the opposite shoulder and flips.
