American Olympian Anita Alvarez Recalls Near-drowning Incident

American Olympian Anita Alvarez needed to beryllium rescued from nan pool erstwhile she fainted and astir drowned astatine nan World Aquatics Championships successful June 2022.

The creator swimmer yet helped Team USA triumph a metallic badge astatine nan 2024 Paris Games, but it was nan infinitesimal erstwhile her coach rushed into nan excavation to prevention her 2 years anterior that stuck pinch nan sports world for months earlier nan Olympics began.

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Anita Alvarez of nan United States, center, is taken from nan excavation aft collapsing during nan solo free last of nan creator swimming astatine nan 19th FINA World Championships successful Budapest, Hungary, connected Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

She opened up astir nan incident successful an question and reply pinch People magazine, which was published connected Saturday.

"I retrieve abruptly opening to spot ray done my eyes, and thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not breathing,’ conscionable arsenic they were starting to put an oxygen disguise connected me,’" she said.

Alvarez said nan full incident "blew up measurement much than" she would person thought.

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Anita Alvarez is helped retired of nan excavation aft collapsing during nan solo free last of nan creator swimming astatine nan 19th FINA World Championships successful Budapest, Hungary, connected Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)

"But learning really those photos inspired group changed nan measurement I looked astatine it," she said.

Alvarez is now focused connected her profession extracurricular nan pool. She joined nan U.S. Air Force and graduated from basal training successful January. She is simply a personnel of nan World Class Athletic Program, which helps subject members proceed their training while serving nan country.

She has since returned to nan excavation to cogwheel up for nan world championships later this twelvemonth successful Singapore pinch hopes of returning to Team USA for nan 2028 Olympics successful Los Angeles.

USA synchronized swimming jock Anita Alvarez poses for a image during nan 2016 Team USA Media Summit astatine nan Beverly Hilton successful Los Angeles connected March 8, 2016. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)

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Alvarez has 3 bronze and 1 metallic badge successful nan world championships.

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