The Paris Olympics have been a whirlwind for Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso. The 20-year-old athlete, who announced her retirement from swimming after failing to progress beyond her heat in the women’s 100m butterfly on July 27, was requested to vacate the Olympic Village due to creating an unsuitable environment, according to reports on Monday.
Larissa Schaerer, the head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, stated that Alonso’s presence was causing an unsuitable atmosphere within Team Paraguay. Schaerer expressed gratitude towards Alonso for complying with the instructions and choosing not to stay overnight in the Athletes’ Village.
Despite announcing her retirement, Alonso had reportedly continued to stay in the Olympic Village. Reports from Paraguayan media suggested that Alonso had been spending time at Disneyland instead of supporting her teammates, which had upset the country’s Olympic leadership.
The Daily Mail reported that Alonso had become a distraction to other competitors due to her revealing attire and socializing with other athletes. Alonso finished sixth in her heat with a time of 1:03.09, a slower time compared to her 1:00.37 from her heat in the Tokyo Olympics three years prior.
American swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finished first and second, respectively. After the event, Alonso took to Instagram to officially announce her retirement from swimming and thanked her supporters. She also apologized to Paraguay and expressed her gratitude.
In a subsequent post, Alonso shared a heartfelt message addressed to the sport of swimming. She thanked the sport for allowing her to dream and teaching her valuable life lessons such as perseverance, sacrifice, and discipline. She also shared a collection of photos from her time at the Paris Olympics.
Before the Paris Games, Alonso, who had spent a season at Virginia Tech before transferring to Southern Methodist University, had hinted that this would be her last Olympics in an Instagram post. Alonso had gained attention before the Paris Games for a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her hip.
Alonso had a successful 2023, setting career bests in the 100m and 200m butterfly events and competing in the NCAA championships. As of now, Alonso has not publicly addressed her departure from the Olympic Village.