Team USA Swimmer Who Fainted In Pool Gives Update
Anita Alvarez, the Team USA artistic swimmer who had to be saved after fainting in the water, is doing OK and is ready for competition.
"Will give a brief update soon. But in the meantime know that I am OK and healthy," wrote Alvarez in a late Thursday Instagram post. She then added: “Hope everyone can respect that my team and I still have two more days of competition to be focused on here in Budapest."
Alvarez' response was in relation to the scary scene from Hungary earlier this week when she lost consciousness and began to sink to the bottom of the pool while in the midst of competing. Fortunately, her coach, Andrea Fuentes, recognized what was happening and jumped in the pool to save her.
“I think she was at least two minutes without breathing because her lungs were full of water," Fuentes told Spanish newspaper Marca. "But we were able to take her to a good place, she vomited the water, coughed and that was it, but it was a big scare.”
Seemingly fully recovered, or close to it, Alvarez is awaiting word on when she can compete again and looks forward to doing so. “Whether that’s in the water for me or on the sidelines will be determined by myself and expert medical staff, but either way @artswimusa and I have a job to finish and I hope everyone can understand that," Alvarez shared via her Instagram.
The 25-year-old Alvarez has plans to compete for a spot in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF