A discussion has broken out online after a gold medal-winning swimmer raced with long yellow nails.
Australian swimming sensation Ariarne Titmus has dazzled in Paris, securing two gold medals in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay and the 400m freestyle.
This brings the 23-year-old’s total Olympic gold medal count to four, an impressive feat for such a young athlete.
However, a fan on Reddit shifted focus from her achievements to her brightly colored nails, suggesting they might give her an “unfair advantage.”
“How are fingernails like this allowed. I’ve seen how close the races have been,” the viewer posted.
It’s important to note that the Olympic regulations do not specify any restrictions on nail color for competitors.
One comment said: “As a former swimmer and nail aficionado, these aren’t that long, she has a deep set nail bed so they only look hella long with that color.
“Unless they were another 2 millimeters thicker at minimum, she’s still gotta touch the pad with her fingers for it to trigger.”
A second person added: “It does not affect the time. The walls are electronic timers.”
A third said: “Proper swimming technique doesn’t use cupped fingers anyways, so it really wouldn’t add to swimming speed. Your finger should be lightly splayed and flat.”
I’ll be honest I know nothing about swimming so I don’t know what to believe but it certainly seems like the nails wouldn’t matter much.
But amongst the discussion, my favorite comment read: “While she gets more grab with the nails she handicapped it with yellow: everyone knows red is the fastest color.”
Shifting back to the serious side of the competition, Titmus delivered a stellar performance to outshine world-record holder Katie Ledecky in the women’s 400m final, per Reuters.
Ledecky, finishing 0.67 seconds behind and taking silver, commented: “It was certainly a tough race and I delivered. I couldn’t do much better than that. It was a tremendous race, a lot of fun.
“I can’t be too disappointed. It was my second-best swim ever (over the distance). I felt like I fought tooth and nail and that’s all you can ask for.”
Titmus, reflecting on her victory, said: “It is the biggest thing you can pull off in your sporting career, so I’m over the moon.
“Honestly, at 200 metres I was a bit worried, but I did not come to the Olympic Games unprepared. I had to trust myself and stay as composed as I could. Use the speed that I have. And all that against a woman who has an amazing back end of her race. I’m really proud.
“I’m trying to contain it as much as I can. I have a big programme ahead of me, but I can enjoy this afterwards.”
Long nails are the key. Or maybe they aren’t… I honestly have no idea.