DEADLY DIVE

U.S. Swimmer Anita Alvarez Saved by Coach After Fainting Underwater

The synchronized swimmer sank unconscious to the bottom of the pool at the World Aquatics Championships.

Synchronized swimmer Anita Alvarez was rescued by her coach after passing out in the pool at the World Aquatics Championships. The U.S. athlete stopped breathing and sank to the bottom of the pool after finishing her routine in the solo free final in Budapest, Hungary. Andrea Fuentes, Alvarez’s coach, dived into the water and pulled the 25-year-old to the surface. “It felt like a whole hour,” Olympic medalist Fuentes told a Spanish radio station, according to the BBC. “I said things weren't right, I was shouting at the lifeguards to get into the water, but they didn’t catch what I said or they didn’t understand. She wasn’t breathing. I went as quickly as I could, as if it were an Olympic final.” Fuentes also rescued Alvarez after she fainted in the pool during an Olympic qualifier in Barcelona last year.