July 27 was perhaps the biggest day in Luana Alonso’s life.
Within 24 hours, the Paraguayan swimmer was eliminated from the Olympics after finishing sixth in the 100-meter butterfly, and then unexpectedly announced her retirement from the sport.
20 years old.
However, the drama is said to have not yet left the Olympic life of the so-called Wonder Girl. Yesterday it was announced that she was expelled from the athletes’ village because she created an “inappropriate atmosphere” among her teammates.
Although she has shared a number of racy photos on social media, including a selfie in a hot shower and many snaps showing her Olympic rings tattoo on her upper right thigh, little is known about what prompted her departure.
The Paraguayan Olympic team did not comment further on the statement, but Larissa Schaerer, head of the COP mission, added: “We thank her for acting according to instructions, as it was her own free will not to spend the night in the athletes’ village.”
The information vacuum has led to an explosion of speculation about the swimmer and what she might have done to get her kicked out of the athletes’ village.
But who is Luana Alonso? MailOnline delves into the swimmer’s life to find out.
Luana Alonso (pictured) announced her retirement from swimming after a crushing 6th place in the 100m butterfly
She is only 20 years old and announced her retirement less than two weeks ago
Alonso was known in Paraguay as ‘Wonder Girl’
She was known for sharing steamy photos with her fans on social media
Alonso (pictured left) has been a competitive swimmer since she was six
She was forced to leave the athletes’ village for creating an “inappropriate environment”
It is not known what she will do after her retirement
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Her career has taken her all over the world, from Doha to Budapest, and she’s shared stunning photos of herself in bikinis and swimwear along the way.
In Doha, where she competed in the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, she was spotted walking through the desert in a lace, white gauze dress.
She was also spotted in Qatar’s capital riding a jet ski in a bright orange bikini, and on a camel in a loose, short black dress.
During the competition itself, she was spotted in a tight, bright orange swimsuit, revealing her Olympic rings tattoo, and sporting a tan from her time in the Middle Eastern sun.
But before she flew around the world to show her athletic talents, she took her first steps in her home country of Paraguay.
In Doha, where she competed at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, she was spotted trekking through the desert in a lacy white mesh dress
The glamorous swimmer rode a camel in the desert around Doha while wearing a loose, short black dress
She was also spotted riding a jet ski while wearing a bright orange bikini in the Qatari capital
Born in 2004 in Asuncion, the capital of her country, she started swimming at the age of four, encouraged by her grandfather.
Just two years later she was entering competitions and quickly became famous as a child prodigy.
She said in 2022 that when she won her first competition, she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to the sport.
“It was at that moment that I realized swimming was my thing,” she said.
Her seemingly innate talent for the water has been honed by her dedication to the sport. In 2020, she revealed that she trains in the water twice a day, as well as doing fitness and stretching exercises every day.
Her dedication to the sport led her to compete internationally at the age of 15, having competed at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Alonso, pictured during the opening ceremony, has almost 500,000 followers on Instagram
The 20-year-old has since retired from swimming after finishing sixth in her only swimming event at the Games
Alonso ran into Rafael Nadal (right) during the matches and shared a snap of the pair on X
The Paraguayan star started swimming at a young age and first competed when he was 6 years old
Alonso confirmed her retirement with this message she posted on Instagram
Two years later, she represented her country at the South American Championships in Argentina, before making her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2021.
Unfortunately, her success there was minimal: she finished 28th in the 100-meter butterfly.
To complement her swimming skills, she won prestigious scholarships to two American universities, Southern Methodist University in Texas and Virginia Tech in Virginia. She was a Division 1 athlete at both universities.
But her time in the US appears to have eroded her loyalty to her home country.
She was a Division 1 athlete at Southern Methodist University in Texas
Alonso made her Olympic debut in Tokyo
In late July, five days after the Olympic Games began in Paris, she reportedly declared on social media that she would rather compete for the US than Paraguay.
“I want to represent the United States more,” she told her hundreds of thousands of followers.
She claimed her country’s Olympic committee “threatened” her.
“They threatened to publish a statement saying that I would leave because of the university… They want to humiliate me,” she said.
“It is not a pleasure to represent Paraguay and if it were up to me, I would go back to university,” she added.
Little is known about what the 20-year-old bombshell will do next, but she said in a post-retirement Instagram post that she wouldn’t be quitting swimming forever.
“It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later.”