Dramatic footage emerged from the World Championship in Budapest showing the moment US synchronized swimmer Anita Alvarez (25) was pulled unconscious from the pool by her coach, Andrea Fuentes, after fainting at the conclusion of her solo routine.
The frightening incident occurred on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, during the women’s solo free event. Footage showed the US swim team initially celebrating Alvarez’s finish before realizing something was wrong as the swimmer began to sink.
Coach Fuentes, sensing the immediate danger and critical failure of the lifeguards to react, quickly plunged into the water to rescue Alvarez. Fuentes pulled her to the surface before she was placed on a stretcher and taken away for medical attention.
Amazingly, this marked the second time Fuentes had saved Alvarez in a similar situation, having rescued her after she fainted during an Olympics qualifying event in Barcelona the previous year.
Fuentes later revealed the severity of the incident in Budapest, stating that Alvarez stopped breathing for “at least two minutes” following the rescue, and that she had tried to revive her immediately by slapping her and opening her jaw.
Alvarez regained consciousness shortly after being pulled from the pool and was reported to be recovering well. Coach Fuentes, who criticized the slow reaction of the lifeguards, initially said a decision on whether Alvarez would compete in the free team finals the following day would depend on medical advice.
However, Fuentes later told the Spanish daily El Mundo that Alvarez was determined to continue the World Championships, stating, “She doesn’t want to leave here with the photo of her unconscious at the bottom of the pool.” Fuentes added that since Alvarez’s role in the team events involves “a lot of pirouettes and very few apneas,” she was “almost certainly [going to] compete.”
