Backstroker Cooper in bizarre title final

Melissa Woods | December 16, 2022

Australia’s Isaac Cooper has been denied a backstroke world short course gold medal in bizarre circumstances after less than half the field completed the race due to a timing malfunction.

An alarm sounded indicating a false start but three swimmers including 18-year-old Queensland Cooper continued to race.

No rope fell at the 15m mark to stop the swimmers, with Cooper touching first in a personal best time of 22.49 seconds which was a junior world record.

Officials conferred before deciding to reschedule the race until later on Friday night, with a full field of eight swimmers after they ruled there was no false start.

Cooper, who was banished from the Commonwealth Games team for misusing prescription medication, was bidding for his third medal after winning bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke behind American Ryan Murphy and gold in the 4x50m relay.

Dual Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, who is skipping the titles and working in commentary, said she’d never seen such a race unfold.

“There should’ve been a 15-metre rope that goes down when there is a false start, when someone leaves early so that it stops the boys from swimming the rest of the race,” Titmus told the Nine Network. 

“These guys are pure sprinters … so to ask them to get up and go again straightaway is not fair. 

“Isaac has been vocal in the fact that after a 50 or 100m effort he can feel quite sick and even vomit. 

“They’ve definitely got a disadvantage compared to the boys that heard the noise to stop in the race.

“I would be pretty upset – he has just done a PB, technically looked at the scoreboard and thought he’s become world champion then he hears no crowd.”

The race will be re-run at 9.10pm AEDT.