The excitement of a potential double-podium finish for the United States in the women’s 200m individual medley was short-lived, as one of the American swimmers, Alex Walsh, was disqualified after the race due to an illegal turn.
Walsh and her teammate Kate Douglass initially appeared to finish second and third, respectively, in Saturday’s event. But shortly after the race concluded, officials announced they were reviewing one of Walsh’s turns during the transition from the backstroke to the breaststroke.
After further examination, it was determined that Walsh had failed to properly complete the backstroke portion of the race before initiating her turn into the breaststroke. This manoeuvre was deemed to be an illegal turn, resulting in her disqualification from the event.
The disqualification was a disappointing outcome for the American team, who had hoped to celebrate a double-medal finish in the 200m medley.
The incident serves as a reminder of the fine margins and technical precision required at the highest levels of competitive swimming.
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Douglass’ second-place performance remained intact, but the team missed out on an additional podium spot due to Walsh’s technical infraction.
It ultimately led to a reshuffling of the final results, with Canada’s Summer McIntosh winning the gold medal with an Olympic record time of 2:06.56. Kate Douglass of the United States secured the silver, finishing just over three-tenths of a second behind McIntosh. Australia’s Kaylee McKeown rounded out the podium with the bronze.
