US swimmer Alex Walsh disqualified after controversial turn despite winning bronze in 200m medley

PARIS, FRANCE: At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alex Walsh, a swimmer representing Team USA, won a bronze medal before facing disappointment due to a disqualification in the women’s 200-meter individual medley event.

Walsh, 23, finished third in the race, following Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh and her American teammate Kate Douglass, per the People magazine.

However, she was later disqualified for executing an illegal turn from backstroke to breaststroke. This would have been Walsh's second medal, with her having previously won a silver in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

What did Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass say following their event?

"I was just really heartbroken for her," Kate Douglass, 22, told the press after the competition. "I feel like she deserved to be on the podium with me."

Douglass mentioned that she hadn't yet spoken with Walsh but was distraught by how the situation unfolded.

"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," she said.

Gretchen, Alex Walsh's sister, and a fellow Team USA competitor, informed reporters that she was watching her sister's race and was in the middle of a warm-down when she learned about the news.

"I was just stopped in the middle of the pool, like so upset," said Gretchen, who went on to win a gold medal in the mixed 4x100-meter medley. "I don't really know how to describe it, but yeah, I knew that I was gonna have to move on from that quickly in the moment and give her a big hug, tell her that I'm here for her and then go out and do this in her honor."

Gretchen's gold medal marked her third of this Olympics, having already bagged two silver medals in Paris, for the women's 100-meter butterfly and the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

Walsh had previously shared with the aforementioned outlet about the mix of emotions of making it to Tokyo when Gretchen did not, as she just missed qualifying three years ago.

“It was like a split house: happy for me, but gutted for Gretchen,” Walsh said. “My parents struggled.”

Gretchen claimed that the two sisters are “best friends,” who support each other unconditionally despite having opposite personalities.

“We’re both dedicated and hardworking,” Gretchen added. “We push each other to new heights.”

Both sisters currently attend the University of Virginia, where Gretchen is majoring in finance and minoring in math, and Alex is a computer science major with a minor in psychology.

“Having each other there to be able to talk to is great,” Alex remarked. “We make each other laugh a lot. So it’s nice to have someone that is going to brighten your day.”

Internet bemoans the Olympics for Alex Walsh's disqualification

Netizens supported the 23-year-old Team USA athlete who got disqualified after coming in third place, for making an illegal turn from backstroke to breaststroke during the 200-meter individual medley.

One X user asserted, "Paris Olympics: Wholesale mistakes and controversial decisions."

Another user claimed, "A lot of Olympic players were disqualified in the Paris Olympics!!"

Another user wrote, "It's disappointing to see such inconsistencies in the rules affecting our athletes."

One X user remarked, "dq at the olympics must feel like a punch in the gut."

Another user said, "Damnnnn All that hard work."

Someone else tweeted, "Bummer for alex walsh getting DQ'd."

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