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| Not allowed: Learmouth and Taylor-Brown beat everyone but were disqualified for crossing the finish line together |
Yes, they finished ahead of everyone else, but they were disqualified after raising each other's hand aloft as they crossed the finish line together. A rule of the International Triathlon Union forbids "contrived ties" and led to Jessica Learmouth and Georgia Taylor-Brown having their finishing times rubbed from the results in Tokyo.
The reason has been reported elsewhere and has sparked a debate on whether it was right or wrong. The decision was technically right, because the rule exists and outlaws such a thing.
However, it is the rule that is woefully wrong.
Before going further, consider also that even the "technically right" argument is leaky. In today's world a contrived tie in a timed sport such as triathlon is virtually impossible. There are high-spec finish line cameras and digital mat timing systems capable of separating finishers' times down to hundredths of a second. Indeed, Learmouth was initially given the victory as measured by such technology. The jointly-raised arms and side-by-side finish was a symbolic gesture of camaraderie and sportsmanship; Learmouth and Taylor-Brown are British teammates and training partners.
But on Friday, rule 2.11.f was evoked and the swiftest athletes on the day were denied coveted pre-Olympic podium positions and departed empty-handed.
So, the question is: does there always need to be an outright winner in a sporting competition, or can athletes act in the moment and split the honours if they feel the challenge has been equally met?
To the latter, I say yes.
In competition, a race to the finish is what happens 99 per cent of the time. But now and then something else occurs and we see another, equally valid side of sportsmanship, a spirit of humanity and a sharing of a euphoric moment. It can happen when two athletes, having beaten all others, are unable to break away from their last opponent. In an often wordless moment of spontaneity they acknowledge the equal accomplishment of the other and share the celebration, matching strides across the finish line.
In international-level sport such occurrences are rare, but when they happen the message sent can reverberate far and wide in a positive way. Many still remember the winning moment in the first London Marathon, in 1981, when Inge Simenson and Dick Beardsley had doggedly tried to break clear of each other during the 26.2-mile race, but crossed the finish line together.
Beardsley later said: "In a spontaneous show of sportsmanship, we grabbed each other's hand and almost in that instant we broke the tape. The photo made papers all over the world."
As a young teenager who had started road running seriously only seven months earlier, it encouraged me to see such sportsmanship at the highest level of my chosen sport.
I'm sure it will be the same for countless aspiring triathletes today who witnessed the sporting gesture of Learmouth and Taylor-Brown, although what could have been an empowering, life-affirming advert for the sport has been blunted by the disqualification decision.
Indeed, on Saturday in an Instagram post, Learmouth wrote: "Couldn’t have dreamt of taking the tape with G. Feel we showcased our sport in the right way, hopefully showing young athletes it’s not always dog eat dog."
And let us also remember the Olympic creed: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
The ITU should jettison its hard and fast rule and let finish line events take their natural and spontaneous course.
Video commentary after the event:
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