2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES

This morning, Japan’s Kanako Watanabe was disqualified in the 100 breast, and now the Chinese men will miss out on an opportunity to swim in the final of the 4×100 free relay.

The Chinese team, made up of He Jianbin, Lin Yongqing, Ning Zetao, and Yu Hexin was flagged for an early takeover, though it’s not yet clear who jumped. On the results page, only He’s lead-off leg of 50.08 shows up, so it might have been 2nd leg Lin who dove in early.

With a 50.08 lead-off, it’s hard to imagine that the Chinese might have made the final even if they hadn’t been disqualified. While Ning and Yu are two very strong sprinters, and Ning is a medal contender in the 100 free, the Chinese team didn’t seem strong enough to make the final.

Regardless, China will not race in the 4×100 free relay final tonight after their DQ. Russia, USA, and Australia lead the way for the final tonight with 3:12’s with France not far behind. Japan, who led off with Katsumi Nakamura‘s 47.99 that was the fastest lead-off of the entire field, gets in at 8th for the final. Also contending tonight will be Canada, Brazil, and Belgium.