Team USA initially seemed poised for a double podium finish in the women’s 200m individual medley, but the outcome changed when one swimmer was disqualified after the race.
Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh appeared to secure second and third places, respectively, in Saturday’s event, which would have brought two additional medals for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.
However, shortly after the conclusion of the race, officials announced a review focusing on Walsh’s finishing turn during the transition from backstroke to breaststroke.
Ultimately, it was determined that Walsh would be disqualified for what was ruled an illegal turn. She was found to have not completed the backstroke on her back while executing the turn to begin the breaststroke segment.
NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines explained the situation, stating, “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.” He remarked that from the reviewed angle, the call appeared to be correct.
Due to the disqualification, Kate Douglass finished second with a time of 2:06.92, just over three-tenths of a second behind Canada’s Summer McIntosh, who set an Olympic record at 2:06.56 to take gold. Australia’s Kaylee McKeown claimed the bronze after Walsh’s disqualification.
The Team USA swimmer reflected on her performance in the 200m breaststroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics.