NANTERRE, France (AP) — Lower than an hour after American swimmer Alex Walsh was disqualified and misplaced a bronze medal, her youthful sister Gretchen received gold and helped the U.S. relay group set a world report.
Speak concerning the highest of highs and lowest of lows on the Olympic stage for the tight-knit household from Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m simply devastated,” Gretchen Walsh mentioned. “I feel that Alex deserves a lot, she’s labored so exhausting and I don’t actually know the best way to put that into phrases it’s actually unhappy, however I do know that she’ll be again and higher than ever.”
Alex Walsh completed third within the girls’s 200-meter particular person medley, in place for bronze earlier than a overview canceled out her outcome.
She was disqualified for not finishing the backstroke leg of her race on her again and turning too quickly, in line with World Aquatics. Alex walked by the blended zone after her occasion at La Protection Enviornment on the second-to-last night time of swimming with out talking to reporters.
Not lengthy after, Gretchen was a part of U.S. 4×100 blended relay group. They received gold and broke the world report in an occasion that debuted on the Tokyo Video games three years in the past.
She clasped fingers with Torri Huske on her left and Nic Fink on her proper and joined backstroke star Ryan Murphy on the identical medal stand that Alex had missed out on earlier.
They completed in 3 minutes, 37.43 seconds, .12 forward of China. That end additionally went below overview earlier than changing into official. When it did, Murphy threw each arms into the air to have a good time.
The Walshes have completed a lot collectively. Simply this previous spring, they led the College of Virginia to its fourth straight NCAA swimming and diving championship.
Gretchen Walsh had watched her sister’s race then determined to swim another 50-meter to heat down forward of her personal occasion.
“I used to be actually completely satisfied for her once I noticed she touched third. I used to be thrilled that she was on the rostrum, after which I did another 50 of heat down after which it was a DQ,” she mentioned. “So I used to be simply stopped in the midst of the pool like so upset, I don’t actually know the best way to describe it. However yeah I knew that I used to be going to have to maneuver on from that rapidly within the second, give her a giant hug, inform her that I’m right here for her after which exit and do that in her honor.”
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games