Lucky to Live: US Swimmer Faints in Water During World Swimming Championships

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American swimmer, Anita Alvarez, is lucky to be alive after she fainted while competing at the World Championships and had to be rescued by her coach in stunning scenes yesterday.

The 25-year-old synchronised swimmer was competing in the final of the women’s solo free event when she fell unconscious and sank to the bottom of the pool in Budapest.

Her coach, Andrea Fuentes, leapt into the water and dragged her back to safety with the help of an unnamed man, while lifeguards watched on.

Alvarez regained consciousness soon after being rescued from the pool, received immediate first aid and is reportedly recovering well.

Amazingly, it is the second time Alvarez has fainted in a pool during a competition, with Fuentes again coming to her aid during the Olympics qualifying event in Barcelona.

“It was a big scare. I had to jump in because the lifeguards weren’t doing it,” Fuentes said afterwards.

“I was scared because I saw she wasn’t breathing, but now she is doing very well. Anita is doing much better.”

The American swim team was visibly distressed by the horrific incident and were seen consoling each other by the pool afterwards.

Fuentes summed up the situation by posting a statement on Instagram.

“Anita is okay – the doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc… all is okay,” she wrote.

“We sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country… we have all 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 to 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. Tomorrow she will rest all day and decide with the doctor if she can swim free team finals or not.”

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