Luana Alonso has teased a return to swimming, but in what capacity?

Luana Alonso is no stranger to making headlines. The Paraguayan swimmer and former Olympian’s name was international news last summer not due to any medals won, but rather for the controversy she stirred up during the Paris 2024 Games. No one could have predicted the end result of the controversy she stirred up—retirement, OnlyFans, and political ambitions aren’t generally what one expects from a young swimmer in her prime.

Here’s a brief crash course on the scandal at the 2024 Olympics. Alonso competed in the 100m butterfly, but she failed to advance after finishing in 29th place. She began to garner attention online for her powerful presence in the Olympic Village, with countless people tuning in to her social posts featuring the Village and the city of Paris. Apparently, Paraguayan officials took issue with both her conduct and her attire—she didn’t wear the official Olympic kit that the other athletes wore—and she was expelled from the Olympic Games for “creating an inappropriate atmosphere” as a result.

Mere days after her expulsion, Luana Alonso announced that she was retiring from the world of competitive swimming, to the great shock of her fans. She’s young and was still considered to be an athlete in her prime when she announced that she was done competing, so her fans being flummoxed by the announcement made sense. However, she wasn’t done throwing her supporters for a loop. Shortly after Alonso announced her official retirement, she launched an OnlyFans account. For $35/month, her fans and followers can continue to follow along with her journey, enjoying behind-the-scenes content and access to the swimmer that other people don’t have. Her rate is high compared to many others on the platform, fueling the reactions to her announcement. Some people have criticized her move, saying that $35/month is a bit too much of a reach for a former athlete who is clouded by scandal, while others are praising her moxie, saying that she should enjoy that hard-won confidence.

Since enjoying her success on OnlyFans, Alonso has shared some of her newer goals. She intends to enroll in a university in the United States and study political science, because she wants to one day become Paraguay’s official sports minister. Her recent shift in tone and attitude suggests that she means it when she says that she’s planning to use her platform and her experience to shape sports policy in Paraguay upon completing her academic goals.

She’s not opposed to hopping back in the pool either. She recently teased a return to the water “next year” in an Instagram Q&A, not clarifying whether she means recreational swimming, swimming for content creation purposes, or an intention to return to elite competitive swimming. Fans have been speculating, but no one is really certain whether this is a comeback or simply a content pivot for Alonso.

Luana Alonso’s journey from Olympic hopeful to successful OnlyFans creator has been an interesting ride, to say the least. Will her journey to politics be just as riveting? Only time will tell, but whether she returns to the pool or pursues new ventures, one thing is for certain: she’s going to make a splash wherever she goes.