The 2024 Paris Olympics did not go as planned for Team USA swimmer Alex Walsh. While Walsh finished the 200-meter women's individual medley final in third place, her bronze medal was taken away after judges deemed she made an illegal turn from backstroke to breaststroke.
Video replay confirmed Walsh was not on her back when she touched the wall, as the rules require, but fully rotated on her stomach. After Walsh was disqualified, Australia's Kaylee McKeown was awarded the bronze medal. Walsh, who won silver during the 200-meter IM at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, exited the Paris La Défense Arena without speaking to reporters on August 3.
Fellow Team USA swimmer Kate Douglass, who won silver for the 200-meter IM in Paris, was heartbroken for Walsh. "I feel like she deserved to be on the podium with me," Douglass told reporters. "When it comes to that, I feel like we have a fair share of mistakes and stuff and I don't know, it's just upsetting."
Three days later, Walsh broke her silence on the devastating results in Paris, and posted a strong message on Instagram.
The 23-year-old wrote, "Still proud 🩷 Thank you to everyone who has reached out and sent me such kind messages — I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who care so much!
"Despite the DQ, this Olympics has been an experience that has left me feeling happy and fulfilled, and I will cherish that forever. After all, everything happens for a reason and there is so much more to be excited about for me in this sport 🩷 With love, Alex."
While Walsh went home empty-handed in Paris, her younger sister, Gretchen Walsh, won four medals, two gold and two silver, in her Olympic debut. During her final race, she helped Team USA set a new world record in the 4x100-meter medley relay alongside Regan Smith, Lilly King, and Torri Huske.
Gretchen, 21, was actually in the warm-up pool getting ready for the 4x100-meter mixed relay when she learned about her sister's disqualification.
“I’m just devastated,” Gretchen told reporters. “I think that Alex deserves so much, she’s worked so hard and I don’t really know how to put that into words it’s really sad, but I know that she’ll be back and better than ever.”
Related: Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati Breaks Silence on 'Big Disappointment' at Olympics
Related: Swimmer Caeleb Dressel Breaks Down in Tears After Shocking Olympic Fail
Related: Suni Lee Wins the Internet After Owning Major Olympic Fail in Viral Video
Most Popular
Comments / 0