Alex Walsh competed in just one event in the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 200m individual medley. The Team USA swimmer appeared primed for a medal place, competing with Australia’s Summer McIntosh and teammate Katie Douglass for a spot on the podium.
Walsh looked to have finished the job, striding to the wall third behind McIntosh and Douglass. Such an accomplishment would represent a momentous one for the 23-year old, who finished second in the same event at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
But Walsh’s hopes for hardware were dashed when Olympic officials retroactively disqualified her. The adjusted result saw Team USA lose out on another medal, with Australia’s Kaylee McKeown taking Walsh’s place.
Here’s the latest on why Olympic officials voided Walsh’s impressive 200m showing Saturday in Paris.
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Alex Walsh’s disqualification, explained
Walsh saw her bronze medal-winning time nixed after IOC officials found that she did not fully complete the backstroke leg of the individual medley on her back.
Saturday’s race consisted of four different elements: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. The error appeared to take place when she was attempting to make the turn from backstroke to breaststroke.
Walsh…
