Magic then dread: American swimmer Anita Alvarez lost consciousness in the water after her performance in the synchronized swimming final on Wednesday in Budapest, before being rescued by her coach.
"
I yelled at the lifeguards to get in the water, but they didn't hear what I said or they didn't understand
," said former swimmer and now coach Andrea Fuentes. to Spanish newspaper
Marca
, hours after the incident.
Anita Alvarez taken care of by the medical service of the World Swimming Championships.
LISA LEUTNER/REUTERS
Alvarez, 25, collapsed in the pool at the Alfred-Hajos swimming complex in Budapest, moments after finishing his performance in the free solo synchronized swimming final.
Unconscious, she sank to the bottom of the pool.
Read alsoSwimming: an American woman faints and is saved from drowning by her coach during the Worlds
Images that have gone around the world
Faced with the inertia of the assembly and the immobility of the rescuers whom she describes as "
flabbergasted
", the quadruple Spanish Olympic medalist did not hesitate for a moment: fully dressed, she dove into the pool.
“
I did the fastest apnea of my life, more than when I was training for the Olympics
,” she told Cadena Ser on Wednesday evening.
Using the strength of his arms, Fuentes brought Alvarez to the surface and tried to get her to breathe.
A rescuer finally dived seconds after her.
“
I was scared because I saw that she was not breathing, but now she is fine
,” the coach has since reassured.
"
She only had water in her lungs, when she started breathing again, everything was fine
."
Why didn't the lifeguards intervene before the coach?
"
The rules under which lifeguards can intervene are very strict
," said Bela Merkely, head of the championships medical service, in a press release.
In such a situation, only the judges of the International Federation can decide to interrupt the competition for an intervention.
But “
no signal has been made in this direction
”, continued the doctor.
"
After the coach jumped into the pool at her own risk, the local lifeguards, sensing the danger, no longer waited for the judge's signal, but decided to intervene immediately, so that the American competitor was finally got out of the pool with their help
added Bela Merkely.
Once out of the pool, Alvarez "
was immediately taken care of by a medical team
" confirmed the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in contact with the convalescent swimmer.
“
She went too far
”
The American Artistic Swimming Federation spoke Thursday in a press release and spoke of a sports community "
upset
" by this incident.
“
Anita has been examined by medical staff and is still being monitored.
She feels much better but is resting today
,” the Federation said.
“
The doctors checked his vital constants and everything is normal (...).
Everything is fine
, ”said his coach in an Instagram post.
If the swimmer comes out unscathed, this kind of incident is not a first for her.
“
It happened once last year, during the Olympic qualifying tournament (in Barcelona editor’s note) (…).
Before that, she had had sporadic problems with fainting, but never in competition
,” the Federation said.
And for Fuentes, it's once too many: “
We were very scared, even if it's not the first time it's happened.
She is an athlete who likes to seek her limits, but this time she went too far.
I told him not to do it anymore.
The continuation of the competition is therefore uncertain for Alvarez without the agreement of his doctors.
There is only one event left for him: the team free final scheduled for Friday.
