I searched and couldn't find this posted, but I could have missed it.
Anyways, its pretty interesting because the official basically says Cavic touched first, but didn't "push" and slid, while Phelps pushed with force, etc etc. (He talks about this right at halfway through the video)
www.swimchampions.com/.../
Personally I think you have to live with however the time system works as long as it is functional. If it was functional and Cavic didn't press hard enough, its tough luck.
The only alternative is to just present a "tie" when you are within the margin of error of the equipment.
Does anyone remember if they had back up timers on the deck in Bejing? If so - and I would imagine there were - what if anything did that show on the time?
If they used the same system as US Olympic Trials, which I believe they did, there were no human backup timers but high speed cameras above each lane to capture times if the pads fail. Those would be the interesting photos to see as they're the official finish photos. I believe that was what the timing officials were reviewing when Cavic filed the protest immediately after the race. Too bad Omega probably will never release those photos.
But yes, the race is over, Phelps is the winner, and we'll probably never be absolutely certain 100% exactly what happened.
Does anyone remember if they had back up timers on the deck in Bejing? If so - and I would imagine there were - what if anything did that show on the time?
If they used the same system as US Olympic Trials, which I believe they did, there were no human backup timers but high speed cameras above each lane to capture times if the pads fail. Those would be the interesting photos to see as they're the official finish photos. I believe that was what the timing officials were reviewing when Cavic filed the protest immediately after the race. Too bad Omega probably will never release those photos.
But yes, the race is over, Phelps is the winner, and we'll probably never be absolutely certain 100% exactly what happened.
