She trained hard for it, but a heartbreaking turn of events left her disqualified, even if it wasn’t her fault. So what happened to Breckynn, and how did she pull through?

Even as a child, Breckynn couldn’t go a day without swimming. She was constantly training and dreamt of one day becoming an Olympic swimmer. She joined every competition there was and never stopped improving her technique. Knowing she put so much heart into the sport, the ordeal she went through is even more devastating.

Breckynn was excited because this was the 100-meter freestyle – her specialty. She knew she had a huge chance at winning because she had trained every muscle in her body on what to do and how to win. However, she didn’t know that even before she started, a judge was already eyeing her sternly.

When she reached the end of the pool, she easily pulled herself out of the pool and smiled at her performance. She knew that she was flawless. So she happily grabbed her towel and started drying herself off, not expecting that something bad was about to happen.

She was starting to panic. She looked around and caught her coach’s eye. But her coach seemed to be just as dumbfounded as she was! They had no idea what caused the decision, but they both knew that they were not going to let this go that easily.

As she approached, she knew that something was terribly wrong. Her coach was obviously in disbelief over the reason given for her disqualification. Of course, Breckynn knew her coach well and realized she wouldn’t be like this if the case weren’t so serious. This got her even more curious about the explanation of why she was suddenly disqualified.

When she heard her coach exclaim, “You can’t be serious!” She knew that the reason for her disqualification was unacceptable. Her coach was a good sport and would not react this way if the explanation was valid.

The referee explained that one of the judges made the final decision. They said that Breckynn’s swimsuit revealed her butt cheeks so much that it was almost indecent. Breckynn’s face turned bright red! She could not believe what she was hearing.

This was a considerable allegation to make, so Lauren decided to call it a day. Little did everyone know that this was just the beginning of the battle. It turns out that aside from the swimsuit, the judge had other reasons for making such a decision.

It’s also normal for swimmers to experience what happened to Breckynn and her swimsuit. Called the “swimmer’s wedgie,” it’s a common problem that no swimmer wants to happen but always does. But then, there’s a bigger issue lying behind all of this.

It wasn’t surprising that they got the public’s support, but an even darker truth is about to surface. Because, as it turns out, the swimsuit wasn’t the main issue. The referee had an even bigger reason for why he decided to make the call.

Breckynn was actually curvier compared to the other girls. She is also of mixed-race heritage, which had put her smack in the middle of the referee’s focus. When the comparison was made, the real reason behind it all became apparent.

There was something about Breckynn and her sister’s appearance that ticked off the referee and made them clear targets. It wasn’t about their swimsuits at all – it was about their appearance. This made everyone who knew the story even more furious.

This made Coach Lauren even more intent on bringing this injustice to light. She was interviewed by KTUU, where she emphasized how Breckynn was targeted and singled out and was not just a victim of circumstance. She knew that the ruling was not fair.

Of course, it would all come down to Coach Lauren’s word against the referee’s. After all, it all comes down to the referee’s judgment on whether Breckynn’s way of wearing a standard piece of clothing was proper or not. But Coach Lauren wasn’t about to give up.

The coach also believed that this was a campaign that put girls of color into the spotlight. She talked about how these rules have been causing girls to feel awkward in their own natural bodies just because they were curvier.

Her biggest concern was the impact on the way the girls would feel about their own bodies. Instead of these athletes focusing on their performance, they have become conscious about how they look when wearing the standard swimsuits issued by the school. She emphasized that the rule was policing the girls’ bodies, not the swimsuits.

She further noted that it’s not about the young swimmer wanting to be scandalous, which is what the referee was initially implying. The truth is, the referee simply wasn’t comfortable with how the standard swimsuit fit into Breckynn’s curvy body compared to the bodies of her peers, who were thinner.

The parent then said that this was a clear uniform violation and even commented that the parents of these young girls should teach their kids to cover up, at least for the sake of parents who have sons in the school.

Because the story had gone viral, the Anchorage School District had no choice. They had to take action.

It was not just Kelly Clarkson who was outraged by the entire ordeal. Even the audience, as well as her online followers, were shocked and expressed their disgust. It was obvious to everyone that there was discrimination on so many levels here.

Another commented that it was disgusting how the referee was also a woman. She says body shaming is even more disturbing when it comes from another woman. But now that more people were outspoken about the injustice, would this be enough to change things?

First, they reminded all their referees and other staff that they were not allowed to make assumptions about how the participants wore their suits since these were all standard-issued anyway. This should have been obvious, but it was voiced just the same.

The ordeal definitely left a mark on everyone, especially Breckynn. But things did turn out in her favor, after all. And this was just the beginning.

Although the incident was traumatic and left a few bad memories, Breckynn got justice and was finally able to compete again. Not only that, but she also gave other women who had similar experiences a voice. Now, Breckynn can finally just swim again and is building the future that she always wanted.