♦ Luana Alonso had reportedly been dismissed from the 2024 Paris Olympics
♦ She hit back at those reports stating they were untrue, branding them ‘lies’
♦ Alonso had retired from swimming, aged 20, after her 100m butterfly race
Glamorous Olympic swimmer Luana Alonso once revealed that Brazilian footballer, Neymar, slid into her direct messages.
The Paraguayan swimmer made headlines last week after revealing that she would be bowing out of the sport after she failed to qualify for the second round of the women’s 100m butterfly.
Despite that, reports have emerged claiming that she had been removed from the Athletes’ Village, with Paraguayan Olympic officials stating that she had created an ‘inappropriate atmosphere’ with her behaviour – something which Alonso has since denied, insisting she was a victim of ‘lies’ and ‘false information’.
Alonso, who was born in Asuncion, Paraguay, has previously opened up on how Neymar had once sent her a direct message on social media, but would not reveal the extent of the message.
The 32-year-old footballer, who has enjoyed spells with Santos, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during his glittering career, currently plies his trade for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.
The Olympic swimmer had, according to Fox Sports, asserted that she had been a fan of the Brazil winger for many years.
Olympic swimmer Luana Alonso (pictured) has revealed that football star Neymar once slid into her direct messages
Neymar (pictured) had reportedly reacted to one of her pictures on Instagram, before sending her the message
The 20-year-old had announced she would be retiring from swimming after the Paris Olympics
The outlet states that their exchange came after the footballer had reacted to a photograph the swimmer had shared on her Instagram account several years ago.
Alonso told radio show Aire de Todos that the footballer had subsequently reached out to her.
‘He sent me a DM. That’s all I can say,’ she said on the radio show, via Fox Sports.
The presenters of the show pressed her on what he had said, with Alonso insisting she could not reveal what the Champions League winner had written in the message.
‘I cannot tell this here,’ she replied, adding that she had not seen the message at first, with it being ‘left on the request form.’
Alonso is a college student who attends school in the US. She has also swam for the SMU Mustangs and the Virginia Tech Hokies during her time at both Southern Methodist University and Virginia Tech.
She had narrowly failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the women’s 100m butterfly last week, agonisingly missing out to Georgia’s Ana Nizharadze by 0.24 seconds.
Alonso subsequently took to Instagram to confirm that she would be retiring from professional swimming, writing: ‘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!’
Most athletes who compete early at the Games remain behind in the Athletes’ Village until the Olympics conclude. Yet, Alonso had reportedly been asked to leave early.
Neymar (pictured) had reportedly reacted to one of Alonso’s Instagram photos before messaging her
Alonso failed to qualify for the second round of the women’s 100m butterfly in Paris last week
Alonso wrote on social media: ‘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!’
She had also bumped into Rafael Nadal (right) during the games and shared a snap of the pair on X
During her stay in Paris she also fitted in a visit to Euro Disney posing with a pair of Mickey Mouse ears in front of the Magic Kingdom castle
The swimmer clinked glasses of champagne together in Euro Disneyland, as she took in the sights of the theme park
Alonso, pictured during the opening ceremony, boasts an Instagram following of around 689,000
Alonso (seen left before her race) narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly
Alonso has claimed that she is the victim of ‘lies’ and ‘false information’ after the reports
A statement from the Paraguayan Olympic chief Larissa Schaerer stated: ‘Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay.
‘We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village.’
During her time in Paris, Alonso also enjoyed a trip to Disney Land and had bumped into Roger Federer. She had also made the most of her time in France, checking into an upmarket hotel called Pastel, close to the Arc de Triomphe and had visited many of the city’s shops and museums.
She has appeared to fly back to the United States, posting a picture of her in a car driving along a road near to a US flag.
Despite that, she has now hit back at claims she was kicked out of the Olympics, branding them ‘lies’ and ‘false information’. Some reports had also stated that Alonso had angered Olympic bosses before the Games by saying that she would have preferred to swim for the USA rather than Paraguay.
Meanwhile, Alonso has broken her silence on claims she was booted out of the Olympic Games by Paraguay.
‘I just wanted to clarify that I was never kicked out or expelled from anywhere, please stop spreading false information,’ she wrote, posting a picture of herself enjoying a drink in the sun.
‘I don’t want to make any statement but I’m not going to let lies affect me either.