Luana Alonso, who represented Paraguay in the 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics, recently made headlines for a series of controversies. Before the Olympics even began, Alonso reportedly expressed a preference to swim for the United States instead of her home country. This comment did not sit well with the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, leading to a stern response from their president.
The president of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Camilo Perez, addressed Alonso’s remarks. Perez criticized her for wanting to represent the US, stating, “She came here as a Paraguayan.
She has to train a lot more to represent the USA, and her times need to be much better.” Alonso had qualified for the Olympics through the universality system, which aims to diversify Olympic participation.
Alonso’s performance in the 100m butterfly did not help her case; she finished sixth in her heat with a time of 1:03.09, far behind the semi-finalists. This performance seemed to add fuel to the fire of her controversial statements.
Retirement and Public Statements
Adding to the drama, Alonso announced her decision to retire from the sport via social media last week. In her statements, she expressed frustration with her experience and suggested she preferred to return to college in Texas.
She felt unsupported by her team, saying, “Instead of supporting and saying ‘damn, we trust the athletes,’ it felt like they didn’t care about the World Cup.”
Lifestyle and Public Perception
Alonso, who is currently studying at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and swims for the Dallas Mustangs, has been seen enjoying herself in Paris. After her departure from the swimming events, she was spotted in casual outfits rather than the official team uniforms and was seen socializing with other athletes, including Rafael Nadal.
Alonso also checked into a hotel and visited luxury shops and restaurants, sharing these experiences with her 600,000 social media followers.
The Stance
Larissa Schaerer, the head of mission for the Paraguayan team, criticized Alonso for creating an “inappropriate atmosphere” within the team. Alonso, however, has denied being expelled from the athletes’ village, calling the reports “lies and false information.”
According to a representative of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Alonso left swimming and thus withdrew from the team, but was not formally excluded. The representative added, “As she stopped, she began to behave in an individualistic way and not as a member of the team.
That’s what made the other athletes and the delegation uncomfortable. There is no big drama.”
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