Alex Walsh Stripped of Bronze in Women’s 200m Medley for Illegal Turn; Sister Wins Relay Gold Shortly After

On August 4, in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics, American swimmer Alex Walsh was disqualified for an illegal turn, losing her third-place finish. The bronze medal was subsequently awarded to Australia’s Kiah Melverton. Interestingly, less than an hour after Alex’s disqualification, her sister Gretchen Walsh competed as part of the U.S. 4x100m medley relay team and successfully defended their title, setting a new world record.

According to FINA, Alex violated rules during her transition from backstroke to breaststroke, resulting in her disqualification. This was particularly disappointing for the talented swimmer who had previously won silver in the medley event at the Tokyo Olympics and secured three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships. She left the mixed zone without speaking to the media after the race.

Less than an hour after Alex’s disqualification, her sister Gretchen took part in the 4x100m medley relay alongside Torri Huske, Nic Fink, and Ryan Murphy. The U.S. team swam to victory with a time of 3:37.43, beating China by just 0.12 seconds and defending their title in an event that was first introduced at the Tokyo Olympics.

After the race, Gretchen expressed her disappointment over her sister’s disqualification in an interview: “I’m just heartbroken. I think Alex deserved better because she works so hard. I don’t know how to put it into words, but it’s really unfortunate. But I know she’ll come back stronger.”

Gretchen also mentioned that before the relay began, her sister had given her strength to compete for their country: “When I saw her touch the wall in third place, I was really happy for her. I was glad she would get on the podium. I wanted to be like her, so I swam another 50 meters as a warm-up. When I saw her disqualification, I froze in the pool. It’s indescribable. But I knew I had to snap out of it, give her a big hug, tell her I’m here for her, and then go out there and do it for her.”