WATCH: “Pathetic stretch of rules,” Fans rage on social media as NC State Swimmer Owen Lloyd gets STRIPPED of ACC title after celebrating with teammate

Owen Lloyd came first while finishing the race in 14:37:04 ahead of his teammate Ross Dent.

WATCH: “Pathetic stretch of rules,” Fans rage on social media as NC State Swimmer Owen Lloyd gets STRIPPED of ACC title after celebrating with teammate

Owen Lloyd stripped off ACC title (Image via The Spun/X)

In a surprising turn of events, a North Carolina state swimmer Owen Lloyd was stripped off his ACC Championship title. This happened after he started celebrating his win with one his teammates at the end of the race.

According to reports from Fox News, Lloyd won the 1650-yard freestyle at the ACC Championships over the weekend. He would finish the race in first place with a time of 14:37:04. However, he would later change the lanes after touching the wall as his teammate Ross Dent came second.

YouTube video

As the crowd cheered on, Lloyd was seen hugging Dent after the race. The officials would later review and Lloyd was deemed to have “interfered with another swimmer“. This led to him being disqualified from the event and stripped over the championship.

The swimmer would later break down in tears as the announcement was made. Dent though came into the defense of him and labeled it as the “dumbest rule in swimming” and refused to take the title.

Owen beat me fair and square. He should be on that podium. He was excited… and to have him disqualified is the dumbest thing ever… He is gonna be on the No. 1 trophy. I am not going to stand up there.

Ross Dent on Owen Lloyd being disqualified as per Fox News.

Fans throw in angry reactions as Owen Lloyd gets disqualified

The news of swimmer Owen Lloyd being disqualified for celebrating with his teammate has taken social media by storm. Fans have now come forward in support of him.

While some did claim that rules are rules, they also appeared to show sympathy with him. One user, visibly upset by this development called it a “pathetic stretch of rules“.

Owen Lloyd
Owen Lloyd (Image via SwimSwam)

Comments such as “disgraceful” and “horrible” were also thrown at the rules. Another user blasted the NCAA and and said they are one of the worst governing bodies in sport. One section of fans also applauded the words of Ross Dent and hailed him for the way he handled the situation.

Check out what the fans are saying regarding this from X below:

The league officials have so far not responded to this situation and have not made any comments. Only time can now tell whether there will be some changes in the rules following this huge widespread of rage from fans.

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