Cameron Van Der Burgh. (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/GettyImages)
Don't Miss This
(WSCR) Did South African swimmer Cameron Van der Burgh cheat his way to a gold medal?
It sure seems so. Van der Burgh won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2012 Olympics in London, but days after winning the medal, the swimmer admitted to cheating in the event.
According to the official rules of breaststroke, competitors are allowed to take one dolphin kick at the start of the race and one after each turn before starting their breaststroke kick. But with no underwater video judge, swimmers are often able to sneak in an extra kick. Based on video replays, it appears Van der Burgh took three kicks.
“If you’re not doing it, you’re falling behind,” Van der Burgh said. “It’s not obviously — shall we say — the moral thing to do, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my personal performance and four years of hard work for someone that is willing to do it and get away with it.
“I think it’s pretty funny of the Australians to complain because in the underwater footage if you actually look at Brenton Rickard in the lane next to me, he’s doing the exact same thing as me yet they’re turning a blind eye.
“It’s got to the sort of point where if you’re not doing it you’re falling behind or your giving yourself a disadvantage so everyone’s pushing the rules and pushing the boundaries, so if you’re not doing it, you’re not trying hard enough.”
