Second-placed swimmer stands up for winner who lost '1st-place' over bizzare celebration rule

In a tragic turn of events at The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Swimming and Diving Championships, a swimmer saw his gold medal being forfeited because of a bizarre celebration rule. Taking part in this prestigious race, the North Carolina State swimmer Owen Lloyd went from ecstasy to heartbreak. The youngster completed the 1650 freestyle race in 14 minutes 37 seconds to claim first place in the event. After clinching first place, Owen was spotted celebrating wildly to mark his latest feat. Little did the youngster know that his celebrations would be short-lived. Moments after claiming the first place in the race, Owen hopped onto the divider that separated him from Ross' lane during his celebrations. As he celebrated, he tripped onto the other side of the divider. The authorities at the ACC did not approve Owen's conduct and disqualified him from first place stating that he violated the rules of the race and hence would have to give up his winner's medal. His forfeiture from the first spot meant that second-placed Ross Dent would now embrace the podium as the winner.

Runner-up Ross Dent was crowned the champion but he rallied around his dear friend in a show of sportmanship. He said Owen was fully deserving of the medal and also took potshots at the bizzare violation, calling it the "dumbest rule in swimming." Ross Dent added that he would not take the 1st position on the podium. Owen was left heartbroken with the verdict and was spotted in tears. The harsh verdict soon became a point of contention. It has been said that the race officials saw his celebration as a violation of a rule that states swimmers are not allowed to interfere with another swimmer’s lane before the race officially ends. According to the rulebook of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association), Section 5 has a clear clause that states: “Any competitor who interferes with another swimmer during a race shall be disqualified from that race, subject to the discretion of the referee."

After the race, Owen posted pictures from the race and refrained from passing any comments on the harsh ruling of the race officials. Despite missing out on the medal, Owen was satisfied with his efforts and had posted pictures with his teammates. His post on Instagram was captioned, "Crazy week of emotions and competition. Wouldn’t have wanted to go through it with anyone else. Love this team, jobs not finished. #letswimmingbefun"

Moments after he posted his achievement on the social media platform, fellow users showered support for Owen as they acknowledged the 'real' winner and had encouraging words for the young swimming champion.