Olympic swimmer retires aged 20 after apologising to her country in emotional interview
Luana Alonso confirmed that she is retiring after competing at the Olympics.
Paraguayan swimmer Luana Alonso confirmed that she is retiring from the sport at the age of 20 after an "emotional" interview at the Olympics, in which she apologised to her country.
She took to Instagram after finishing sixth in the 100m women's butterfly, 0.24 seconds behind Georgia's Ana Nizharadze, which ensured that she narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals.
Her statement on social media read: "It's official now! I'm retiring from swimming, thank you all so much for the support! Sorry Paraguay, I only have to thank you!"
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Shortly after getting out of the water, Alonso spoke with Paraguayan outlet Claro Sport for what she described as an "emotional" interview, saying sorry for not qualifying.
“I am very emotional because it was my last race, I am retiring from swimming," she said. "I have been swimming for so long, 18 years, and I have so many feelings. Unfortunately, I made the decision to stop and I am happy that my last race will be at the Olympic Games.
“It didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. I sincerely apologize to Paraguay, but I did what I could, despite several things that happened to me before. So, I’m happy and also to retire here with a full stadium and finally have the Olympic Games.”
Discovery+ is the new home of the Olympics. The streamer is set to broadcast 3,800 hours of sport live from Paris.
Sports fans can get Discovery+ for £3.99 a month until the end of 2024 via Amazon Prime's video channels. This also comes with an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial.
Alonso confirmed that she will next head to the United States to study Political Science at Southern Methodist University near Dallas, Texas, with the ambition to help her fellow sportspeople in an official capacity.
"I'm going to go to study in the United States, to continue with my career in Political Science and, why not, to be a minister of the court one day because, as an athlete, I know what all athletes suffer and I want to help them promote sport," she added.
Claro Sport producer Walter Estigarribia claimed that Alonso was in tears when she spoke to the broadcaster.
Despite the curious nature of her exit from swimming, the 20-year-old clarified that her performance in Paris did not impact any decision to retire and she had not made a snap decision.
She said: "People, my decision was made a long time ago! It wasn't because of the games! So nothing, I just have to thank everyone who always supported me."
