- American swimmer loses consciousness during a championship in Hungary.
- The swimmer was rescued by her coach, Fuentes.
- The coach claimed such events to be “common” in all sports.
Rescue
Andrea Fuentes, the coach jumped into the pool after she noticed that the swimmer was sinking to the bottom. Alvarez was doing “really good” and medical tests showed everything was “under control,” Fuentes told CNN. Fuentes, who is also an Olympic medalist, first lifted Alvarez to the surface and then moved to the edge. This was for the second time that such a catastrophe took place with Fuentes, a similar incident took place last year during an Olympic qualification, back then also Fuentes was to her rescue. The coach also claimed that while the incident might have seemed strange to the world it was extremely common for such events to take place in swimming.
Coach’s Experience
“I was already paying attention, and then I saw her going down,” Fuentes said. “I didn’t even ask myself if I should go or not, I just thought that I was not going to wait.” When Fuentes was asked if she felt the lifeguards were not quick in doing their job, she said it was a lot easier for her to spot what was happening because “I know Anita very well and I know the sport very well. They did their job, I did mine,” Fuentes added.
Capturing the incident
The capturer of the stunning pictures of the rescue, Oli Scarff said that by the end of Anita’s routine he heard some commotion and noticed the swimmer at the bottom of the pool. “It was kind of a shocking thing to see because as soon as I looked back down at the robotic camera I had this kind of clear view of the scene while everyone in the arena was watching it through the surface of the water,” the photographer said.
According to the reports, Alvarez is now okay and that the swimmer “really wanted” to compete Friday. The doctors have cleared her to do so.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: CNN
