Say what you will about Shaunae Miller's dive, but it was legal
Some observers didn't like the way Bahamian runner Shaunae Miller dove to victory in the women's 400 meter track and field final, but there was nothing illegal about it.
The image provided by OMEGA on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, shows the photo finish of the women's 400-meter final when Bahamas' Shaunae Miller (bottom r.) falls over the finish line to win gold ahead of United States' silver medal winner Allyson Felix (top r.), and Jamaica's bronze medal winner Shericka Jackson (l.) during the athletics competitions of 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
OMEGA Timing/AP
It has garnered both controversy and praise, an unconventional finish to the women鈥檚 400 meters final in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics that earned Shaunae Miller from the Bahamas a gold medal.
Late on Monday night, Miller was hurtling down the final stretch, barely a whisker ahead of Allyson Felix from the United States, when she vaulted from the ground and crossed the finish line in a spectacular dive. It was not immediately apparent who had won, so close had the runners been as they tore through the closing stage of the race.
But the result eventually became clear. And, much as some have criticized the manner of Miller鈥檚 victory, there can be no doubt that her action was entirely in accord with the rules.
鈥淭he first athlete whose torso (as distinguished from the head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet) reaches the vertical plane of the closest edge of the finish line,鈥澛爊ote the rules for the Rio games, 鈥�.鈥�
That鈥檚 it. Nothing about feet staying on the ground, no prohibition of diving or crossing the line in an airborne fashion.
Much of the dismay expressed in the hours since stems as much as anything from the nature of the athlete pushed into second place, one who has been variously described as a person whom 鈥溾�� and one who has 鈥�.鈥�
Indeed, in an NBC interview the day after the event, world class sprinter Felix displayed no bitterness or anger at the manner of her defeat, explaining instead how she hoped to communicate a positive message to young women who might look to her as a role model.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have obstacles, there鈥檚 going to be adversity, but let your spirit shine through,鈥� said Felix. 鈥淣o matter how the cards are stacked against you, don鈥檛 let that get you down.鈥�
Aside from having won an Olympic silver medal, Felix has reason to be cheerful: that medal brings her total to seven, more than any US woman in history.
Ironically, when another Olympic final finished in such a fashion 鈥� back in 2008 鈥� the shoe was on the other foot, in terms of the nations involved, as NBC pointed out in a Twitter post.聽
Nor is it the first time at the 2016 Olympics that a race has ended in so nail-biting a manner, with a strong favorite defeated at the final push. Just a few days before Miller鈥檚 dive, the odds-on winner of the 200-meter backstroke, Hungary鈥檚 Katinka Hosszu, was eased into second place by Maya DiRado of the US 鈥� a victory snatched by a margin of 0.06 seconds.
And with regard to Miller of the Bahamas, many observers underscore the fact that there was nothing wrong with what she did 鈥� it was simply unconventional.
鈥淲hat Miller did took guts,鈥� writes Jason Diamond for Rolling Stone. 鈥�, she just didn't win it the normal way.鈥�