US swimming star Lily King has been disqualified from the women’s 200m breaststroke preliminaries at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in South Korea.
The two-time Olympic champion won her preliminary heat before being disqualified for not touching the wall with both hands during the first turn.
US swimming officials filed a protest aiming to reverse King’s sensational disqualification, but their appeal was denied by a FINA panel.
King, who had already claimed gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke, beating her principle rival Russia’s Yulia Efimova, was the main favorite to dominate at 200m.
With King’s disqualification, Efimova will be widely tipped to win the women’s 200m breaststroke final which will be held on Friday.