
Artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez had a dramatic moment during the competition at the World Swimming Championships in Budapest.
Alvarez was seen falling unconscious, but thankfully coach Andrea Fuentes rushed to his rescue.
" It simply came to our notice then. "I had to jump because the beach guards were not doing it ," Fuentes told Spanish newspaper Marca.
Fuentes, wearing shorts and a blouse, dived to the bottom of the pool and pulled Alvarez to the surface and then led him to the edge of the pool.
" I was scared because I saw that she was not breathing, but now she is fine," said Fuentes, a four-time Olympic swimmer.
"It was all very intense. I think he sat for at least 2 minutes without breathing because his lungs were full of water. But he managed to get the water out, coughed and got well. "But the fear was great ."
Fuentes was critical of the bodyguards.
" When I saw him diving, I turned my back on the guards, but I saw that they were frozen. They did not react. I thought: you have to jump now. My reflexes were faster. I did not think long and jumped. It was the fastest and craziest thing I have ever done in my career. I lifted it, but normally it was very heavy. It was not easy.
Anita is fine, doctors have checked all the vital organs and everything is normal, heart, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure. These things happen in sports like marathons, cycling, it also happens in swimming. The only difference is that with us you dive into the pool.
" Anita is fine now, she will rest one day and later the doctor will decide if she can continue the race or not ", said Fuentes.