Alvarez lost consciousness after her exercise and drowned at the bottom of a swimming pool in Budapest.
The lungs are full of water
Andrea Fuentes did not hesitate and jumped into the water. “It was scary. I had to do it because the responsible lifeguards did not intervene,” Spanish newspaper Marca quoted the trainer, who was herself a swimmer. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, then dived into the water and eventually pulled Alvarez out of the sink with help.
The swimmer was dislocated on a stretcher, while his teammates and spectators looked on in shock. Moments later, news came that she had regained consciousness. Fuentes later said that Alvarez may not have been breathing for two minutes. “Her lungs filled with water. Once she got to a safe place, she vomited and coughed several times and everything was fine again.”
Also in other sports
The 25-year-old Alvarez briefly lost consciousness while working out during an Olympic qualifying qualifier in Barcelona last year. “Anita is fine, the doctors confirmed it,” USA Swimming stated.
Fuentes emphasized that in other sports, athletes are more likely to faint. “We know the pictures from the marathon, cycling. Our sport isn’t much different. Sometimes we push our limits in the pool.”
