The US Men’s Swim Team suffered a shocking set back at the World Championships in Barcelona on Sunday after a team member jumped the gun allowing their arch rival, France to win.
The 4 x 100 men’s relay was taking place on Sunday when 19-year-old Kevin Cordes, who was swimming breaststroke in the second spot, jumped in before his teammate touched the edge as they exchanged places.
The Americans touched first with 3:30.06 seconds before the public address announcer left everyone in shock saying that the US had been disqualified “for an early exchange”.
France erupted into wild celebrations as they realized that they had indeed won the gold medal for their country.
US team member Nathan Adrian spoke with reporters afterwards saying the fault is charged to the team, when in a relay.
He added that this will be a learning experience for Cordes and he will become the fastest breastroker in the team
The USA Men’s Swim Team disqualification allowed the French to win the gold medal with 3:31.51, Australia took the silver with 3:31.64, while Japan earned the bronze in 3:32.26.
Cordes, speaking to NBC said that he was sure he hit the water in time, but “I guess I was too fast” adding, “there is nothing you can do about it now”.
If they would have won the gold, this would have been the 12 straight win for the US in 15 events dating back to the Belgrade Championships in 1973.
Cordes took to Twitter to thank fans for their support and voice his disappointment in the end result,
Really tough night to swallow. Thanks for all the support it was an absolute honor to represent my country!
— Kevin Cordes (@KwCordes) August 4, 2013
One one-hundredth of a second kept the USA Men’s Swim Team from winning the World Championships in Barcelona.
[Image via Mitch Gunn / Shutterstock.com ]
