Gliese’s watershed moment worth the wait

UMBC rising junior sets Danish national record in 200-meter backstroke

UMBC swimmer Alexander Gliese wanted to be happy, but it was tough to smile after his preliminary 200-meter backstroke heat at the 2017 Arena Pro Swim Series event in Santa Clara, Calif.

Gliese, a citizen of Denmark, had tou- ched the wall 0.05 of a second off the Danish national record, but officials disqualified him for an improper finish. The Long Reach graduate wouldn’t have a chance to beat the mark in the final.

But about an hour later, Gliese again convened with his coaches, this time “overwhelmed with joy” because the option to swim a time trial at the June 3 meet allowed him to surpass the time for his first national record.

“I knew that I’d be able to do it again if I just got another chance,” Gliese said. “That Gliese was what motivated me.”

USA Swimming rules state each competitor must have part of his or her body above water at the finish. That doomed Gliese, though UMBC swimming and diving coach Chad Cradock said the decision for disqualification “was so close” and might have been overturned if officials could use video review. Instead of advancing to the final, Gliese had 10 minutes before sign-ups closed for a time trial, which swimmers use as an option for another race if they didn’t advance or if their entry time didn’t meet the event’s cut.

After cooling down and warming up again, Gliese returned with extra adrenaline.

In the trial, Gliese finished in 2 minutes, 1.31 seconds, which was 0.06 faster than the Danish record. The time would’ve placed fourth in the final.

“I kind of put my fists up and hit the water a little bit,” Gliese said. “Then I walked over to my teammates and coaches, and I was just smiling.”

After the congratulations, Cradock got