USA’s Anita Alvarez sank to the bottom of the pool, and her coach immediately dove in to save her.
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What began as a scary situation was rapidly resolved by the quick thinking of one person. Andrea Fuentes, head coach of USA Artistic Swimming, is known for her storied career—she won four Olympic medals for Spain as an artistic swimmer herself. But after a dangerous episode that took place in June 2022, she has also been hailed as a hero.
Two-time Olympic artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez was finishing her routine in the solo free final at the the World Aquatics Championships when things took a turn for the worse. While the athlete was dazzling the judges with her routine, she suddenly lost consciousness, and sank to the bottom of the pool.
Fuentes, her coach, looked for help. “I saw that the lifeguards were not jumping into the water because they were paralyzed. I was shouting at them from the other side to get into the water, now!” Fuentes told Spanish radio program El Larguero. Growing increasingly concerned, the coach dove into the water fully clothed to pull her out while medical assistance arrived.
“I saw how she was sinking and I swam as fast as I could,” Fuentes added. “I did the fastest freedive of my life, faster than when I was preparing for the Olympics.” Alvarez was then placed onto a stretcher and taken away to receive medical care. The team later posted an update, stating that the swimmer was feeling much better, with normal vital signs, oxygen, and sugar levels.
Alvarez fainted due to exhaustion, having participated in several events at the competition. “Our sport is no different than others, just in a pool, we push through limits and sometimes we find them,” Fuentes said.
The swimmer was then deemed healthy after an extensive evaluation. Sadly, due to athlete safety concerns, World Aquatics didn’t permit Alvarez to compete at the World Championship finals. “We are most thankful that Anita is healthy. Anita is a tremendous competitor and we could not be more proud of her,” said USA Artistic Swimming CEO Adam Andrasko. “It is unfortunate that she will not have the opportunity to compete in her final event of the competition, but she will return to the pool in the near future and inspire us all once again.”
And return to the pool she did. Almost a year after the incident, USA Artistic Swimming has announced the athletes who make up the senior national team that will participate at the 2023 World Championships and Pan American Games. Not only is Alvarez one of them, but Fuentes remains the head coach. Together, they’ll work to bring home some much-deserved medals and awards. Coach Fuentes states, “I am very excited for this next chapter and I feel honored as their coach to be leading this group of strong swimmers to make Team USA the best team we can be.”
Two-time Olympic artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez was finishing her routine in the solo free final at the the 2022 World Aquatics Championships when she passed out and sank in the pool.
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Andrea Fuentes, head coach of the USA Artistic Swimming, dove into the water fully clothed to pull her out while medical assistance arrived.
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Fuentes says, “I saw how she was sinking and I swam as fast as I could. I did the fastest freedive of my life, faster than when I was preparing for the Olympics.”
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Alvarez was deemed healthy and remains a competitive artistic swimmer. She will join the national team at the World Championships and Pan American Games, while Fuentes remains the head coach.
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Andrea Fuentes: Instagram
U.S. Artistic Swimming: Instagram
h/t: [NPR]
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