(CNN) — American swimmer Anita Álvarez was pulled from the bottom of the pool by her coach at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after losing consciousness, according to Reuters.
Trainer Andrea Fuentes jumped into the pool after seeing the 25-year-old artistic swimmer sink to the bottom at the end of her routine in the women’s solo free event.
Fuentes, a four-time Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming, lifted Alvarez to the surface before helping her to the edge of the pool.
Álvarez received medical attention poolside, Reuters reported, and was later carried away on a stretcher.
It was the second time Fuentes had to rescue Álvarez, according to Reuters. The first time was her when she jumped the pool during an Olympic qualifying event last year and carried her to safety, along with Alvarez’s swimming partner, Lindi Schroeder.
Fuentes told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE in a radio interview: “I think I’ve never swum so fast before, even when I got Olympic medals, and well, in the end I was able to pick her up and she wasn’t breathing. Then the lifeguard came.”
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In a statement on the US Artistic Swimming Instagram page, Fuentes said Alvarez would rest Thursday and see his doctor to see if he is fit to compete in the team free-swimming finals, which are scheduled for Friday, according to the website of the sport’s governing body, FINA.
“Anita is fine, the doctors checked all vital signs and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc… everything is fine,” Fuentes said in the statement.
“Sometimes we forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country… we have all seen images where some athletes do not reach the finish line and others help them to get there”, added Fuentes.
“Our sport is no different than others, it’s just in a swimming pool, we try to push the boundaries and sometimes we run into them. Anita feels fine now and the doctors say she’s fine too.”
Álvarez finished in seventh place behind Yukiko Inui of Japan, who took gold, while Ukraine’s Marta Fiedina and Greece’s Evangelia Platanioti came in second and third respectively, according to the International Swimming Federation (FINA) website. .
Tags: Swimmer Anita Alvarez lost consciousness water Andrea Fuentes trainer jumped pool save
