Everyone uses multiple dolphin kicks in breaststroke, says Cameron van der Burgh – Swimming News
South African swimmer and world record holder of 100m breaststroke, Cameron van der Burgh has stated that everyone uses multiple dolphin kicks in the breaststroke, even though they are not allowed.
The 24-year-old van der Burgh, who lowered the world record of 100m breaststroke, made by Australia’s Brenton Rickard at the 2012 London Olympic Games, confirmed that he took advantage of three dolphin kicks before he came out of the water.
He stated that he was not the only one to do that and stressed that the former record holder, Rickard was in the next lane to him and did the same.
The South African swimmer said that not using multiple dolphin kicks when everyone takes advantage of them would be falling behind and that was something he was not willing to risk after four years of hard work.
He insisted that FINA should bring in video technology to monitor these things as it would be healthier for the sport and would be fair to everyone.
While talking about the underwater footage being used in Sweden during a Swimming World Cup two years back, van der burgh said, “it was really awesome, because nobody attempted it [the dolphin kick]” and “everybody came up clean and we all had peace of mind
that nobody was going to try.”
“I think only if you can bring in underwater footage that’s when everybody will stop doing it because that’s when you’ll have peace of mind to say, 'All right I don’t need to do it because everybody else is doing it and it’s a fair playing field. I’m really
for it. If they can bring it, it will better the sport. But I’m not willing to lose to someone that is doing it,” he added.
Furthermore, the South African swimmer also put light on his last year’s experience that forced him to do this. He further added that he lost Men’s 50m breaststroke at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai from a Brazilian swimmer, Felipe Franca Silva
and the sole reason was the use of multiple use of dolphin kicks by this rival.
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