Park Tae-Hwan: Gold Medal Favorite Disqualified from 400-Meter Freestyle

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-Hwan was disqualified in his qualifying heat in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics Saturday due to a false start.

To make matters worse, there is a chance that officials may have gotten this decision wrong.

UPDATE: Saturday, July 28, 11:30 a.m. ET by Donald Wood

There is justice in the Olympic world, as South Korean favorite Park Tae-Hwan who was disqualified this morning for a false start, had his appeal approved and his heat win accepted, according to The Guardian.

It was in the 400-meter freestyle qualifying heat that Tae-Hwan actually won that a judge ruled he had started early. Instead, it was the competitor in the lane next to Park’s that had the false start.

With a reinstatement of Park’s time, there is little question that he is on his way to contending for another gold medal. While the competition is tough this year, the defending gold-medalist Tae Hwan is an easy favorite.

With a win this morning and a win in the court of appeals in the afternoon, Park is hoping that his luck continues until he finally walks away with another title.

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NBC Olympics reporter Matthew Kitchen is reporting that the false start may have come from a different lane:

"

…it appears there might have been movement from Aussie swimmer David McKeon in lane three, not Park in four.

"

Tae-Hwan was one of the favorites for the gold medal in this event and won his qualifying race with an outstanding time of 3:46.68. It wasn’t until after winning the race that the Tae-Hwan was told that he had been disqualified.

What It Means

The next step for Tae-Hwan and the South Korean Federation will be a meeting with FINA (the governing body over aquatic sports) to determine whether or not the ruling will be overturned.

Unfortunately for Park, NBC Sports is reporting that the appeal process will not use video footage as evidence.

Just like goal cameras in soccer or the replay technology used in football, the Olympics have to realize that humans make errors. With athletes' careers on the line, the IOC must make sure the correct winner is crowned in each and every event.

What’s Next?

As much as it will break the heart of Tae-Hwan and the South Korean and world supporters of the swimming star, it is unlikely that he will win the appeal without the use of video evidence.

If the appeal is denied and Park is disqualified, this event needs to be the evidence that finally convinces the IOC to stand up and take action.

It is sad that it would take the disqualification of a name as big as Tae-Hwan to get the FINA and the Olympic Committee to change their outdated rules, though.

Check back for more on the 2012 Summer Olympics as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Olympics page to get your fill of the best athletes the world has to offer.

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UPDATE: Saturday, July 28, 11:30 a.m. ET by Donald Wood

There is justice in the Olympic world, as South Korean favorite Park Tae-Hwan who was disqualified this morning for a false start, had his appeal approved and his heat win accepted, according to The Guardian.

It was in the 400-meter freestyle qualifying heat that Tae-Hwan actually won that a judge ruled he had started early. Instead, it was the competitor in the lane next to Park’s that had the false start.

With a reinstatement of Park’s time, there is little question that he is on his way to contending for another gold medal. While the competition is tough this year, the defending gold-medalist Tae Hwan is an easy favorite.

With a win this morning and a win in the court of appeals in the afternoon, Park is hoping that his luck continues until he finally walks away with another title.

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