(CMR) A US swimmer was rescued by her coach after she appeared to faint in the water during the world aquatics championships in Budapest on Wednesday. Footage shows 25-year-old Anita Alvarez floating toward the bottom of the pool, apparently unconscious, after completing her solo free routine.
Her coach, Andrea Fuentes, who previously won four synchronized swimming Olympic medals for Spain, leapt into the pool, still fully clothed in a T-shirt and shorts, and pulled the swimmer up toward the surface of the water. Alvarez , a two-time Olympian, was given medical attention before being stretchered away.
Fuentes shared, “The doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc.… all is okay.”
“We sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country,” she continued. “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, we push through limits, and sometimes we find them. Anita feels good now, and the doctors also say she is okay,” she said.
Fuentes said she jumped into the water when she saw no lifeguard helping.
“I got a little scared because she wasn't breathing, but now she's fine,” she said
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