Swim timing follow-up question

Question
This questions is of course coming on the heels of M. Phelps' victory in the 100 fly yesterday by .01 second.

Is the timing system really that accurate?  It seems to me that the timers would have to be very sensitive to the pressure applied by the swimmer's fingers while at the same time not be so sensitive that the pressure from the water set it off.  

In yesterday's race Phelps finished on a half stroke while the other guy finished on a too long stroke, gliding into the wall.  

Seems to me it's POSSIBLE depending on how sensitive they had the timer set that the other man's finger might have touched first but the timer might not have picked it up because it took a millisecond to build up the requisite force.  Is it a matter of the swimmers knowing they not only have to touch the device but that they have to touch it with a certain amount of force to set it off?

Another variable would be how flat does each timer sit against the pool wall?  It seems to me there would be enough variables that you wouldn't be able to accurately get down to .01 of a second.  

But maybe they would rather just be able to proclaim a winner one way or the other.

Answer
Hello again,
You are correct to that extent that it is possible that a variable such as the ones you mentioned could present a reasonable argument in the timing system; however, the system if laid correctly (which im such they are because it is the olympics) it should be very accurate. I have set them up and carried them many time, they are held in place by Velcro and are very heavy in order to not be moved by the water and are also tested before each day of races. I have never experienced a problem with the timers because a trained swimmer such as these men are aware of the force needed to trigger the system, one finger is really all it takes. We were usually trained to hit the pad full force with an open palm, thats why that last stroke should be your strongest. I am assuming because the proposal to investigate Phelp's win was denied that they looked at the back-up timer's results and found the timing board to have been accurate. I understand your concern and assure you that the U.S.A swimming guidelines were followed; also most every stroke has rules for hitting the wall. I was actually disqualified on my first meet ever because I failed to hit the wall with both hands at exactly the same time on my breaststroke. Thanks for your question and I hope that this helped!
-Jessica