Spectators at the World Aquatics Championships witnessed a terrifying moment after a US swimmer fell unconscious in the pool. Artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez was representing the United States in the solo free final of the competition when she fainted after her routine.
The 25-year-old sank to the bottom of the pool in the heart-stopping moment, before her coach Andrea Fuentes quickly jumped in to pull her to safety. A fellow male swimmer helped the coach get Alvarez to the surface and out of the water, where she soon regained consciousness and was seen to by a team of medics before being carried away on a stretcher, The Mirror reports .
The US Artistic Swimming team said on Instagram that Alvarez would be assessed by doctors to decide whether she may continue in the championships on Friday.
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Coach Fuentes, who is a former synchronised swimmer with four Olympic medals, confirmed that Alvarez was in good health following the harrowing ordeal. “The doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal - [her] heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, et cetera… all is ok,” she wrote on Instagram.
The quick-thinking coach went on to remind spectators of the pressures of high-endurance sports, comparing the incident to similar instances in marathon and cross country running. She said: “We all have seen images where some athletes don’t make it to the finish line and others help them to get there.
“Our sport is no different than others, just in a pool,” Fuentes added. She said that Alvarez’ routine was “her best performance ever”, saying of the 25-year-old: “She just pushed through her limits and she found them.”
It’s not the first time that Fuentes has come to Alvarez’ rescue. The swimmer also fainted during an Olympics qualifying event in Barcelona last year, leading Fuentes to leap into the pool to come to her aid.
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