Luana Alonso, a two-time Olympian from Paraguay and one of the most-followed active NCAA swimmers on Instagram (as of 2023) announced her retirement on social media after the conclusion of the 100 butterfly heats.
Paris is Alonso’s second Olympic appearance. She was only entered in the 100 fly, where she finished 29th in 1:03.09. She finished 28th overall in the event in Tokyo. Alonso’s highest international finish comes from the 2022 World Championships, where she placed 20th in the 100 fly.
Alonso holds multiple Paraguayan national records, including all the butterfly records across the 25m and 50m pool, the 50 back LCM, and the 200m IM SCM. At the 2023 Westmont Pro Swim Series, she broke 1:00 in the 100 fly for the first time after being scratched into the B-final.
Alonso started her NCAA career with Virginia Tech in the 2021-22 season, where she finished 30th in the 100 fly. She ended up transferring to SMU for the 22-23 season, repeating her 30th-place finish in the 100 fly as well as finishing 34th in the 200 fly.
Due to differences with head coach Ozzie Quevedo, Alonso ended up leaving the SMU along with a number of her teammates and did not compete in the NCAA past her sophomore season.
1:03 after so many years of training must feel disappointing. Not everyone is built to swim fast.