Gretchen Walsh Dedicates Relay Win to Disqualified Sister Alex

American swimmer Gretchen Walsh faced an emotional moment after her sister Alex was disqualified from the women’s 200m individual medley over the weekend. In her heart, she felt a deep connection to her elder sister, prompting her to dedicate her own gold medal win in the mixed 4x100m medley relay to Alex.

Alex Walsh, who previously earned a silver medal in 2021, finished third in her event. However, her achievement was marred when officials revealed that she had committed an illegal turn at the end of her backstroke leg, leading to disqualification and handing the bronze medal to Australia’s Kaylee McKeown.

“I’m just devastated. I think that Alex deserves so much,” said Gretchen to reporters following her relay team’s triumph. “She’s worked so hard, and I don’t really know how to put that into words. It’s really sad, but I know that she’ll be back and better than ever.”

The news hit Gretchen hard as she was warming up for her relay event. Despite the shock, she channeled her emotions into her performance. “I did watch the race, and I was really happy for her. When I saw she touched third, I was thrilled that she was on the podium,” Gretchen remembered. But hearing about the disqualification left her feeling devastated as she stood in the pool, overwhelmed with emotions.

She knew she had to support her sister. “I knew that I was going to have to move on quickly and give her a big hug, tell her that I’m here for her. And then go out and do this (win the mixed relay) in her honor.” Her dedication paid off as the U.S. team clocked an impressive time of three minutes and 37.43 seconds, beating the previous world record set by Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.

In a twist, Alex’s presumed bronze-medal-winning time was erased after officials scrutinized her actions during the race. They concluded that she failed to complete the backstroke properly, rolling over too far before finishing her turn. According to USA Swimming rules, she needed to touch the wall on her back, but she didn’t meet that requirement.

NBC swimming expert Rowdy Gaines commented on the situation, stating that Alex’s disqualification seemed justified: “She rolls over…she went past vertical, that’s the problem. The head has to come back and cannot go past that 90-degree mark.”

As a result of Alex’s DQ, Kate Douglass, another Team USA swimmer, earned the silver medal with a time of 2:06.92, just behind Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who set an Olympic record during the event.