Jack Burnell


Jack Burnell is an English swimmer. Burnell won a silver medal in the 10 km race at the European Open Water Swimming Championships in 2016 but was disqualified during the same event at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Career

2017

Burnell claimed a gold medal victory in the year of 2017, when competing at the FINA World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
At the World Championships earlier that year, he also finished in fourth place.

2016 & Olympics Disqualification

In 2016, Burnell competed at the Rio Olympic Games, competing in the Marathon Swimming event, with the event beginning at the Copacabana Beach. In the Men's 10 Kilometre Open Water event at the 2016 Olympic Games, Burnell was disqualified for two yellow cards for unnecessary contact with other swimmers, after initially appearing to have finished fifth in a photo finish with the bronze medallist Marc-Antoine Olivier and Zu Lijun. The second yellow card came close to the finishing line after a tussle with the defending Olympic champion, Oussama Mellouli, who was also given a yellow card but ultimately finished 12th. In an angry interview following the race, Burnell claimed that Mellouli had grabbed his leg and that it may have stopped him from winning, and said the first card for unnecessary contact had been awarded when there were no other swimmers around. Burnell's appeal against the judges' decision was not successful.

2015

Burnell competed at the Kazan World Championships, and recorded a fifth place finish in the 10km marathon. This placing secured Burnell's place in the 2016 Rio Olympics, being the first Briton to secure his place.