Anita Alvarez US star of synchronized swimming, faints at the World Championships in water, saved by her coach – Corriere.it

He’s fine now, but for a few minutes he shook the entire synchronized swimming facility and millions of viewers at home. At the Szechy poolwhile the final of the free exercise was in progress, the US Anita Alvarez, 25, fell ill. She passed out and was underwater for several seconds, taking the whole organization off guard if it was true that no one was intervening.

it was then the US coach, the Spanish Andrea Fuentes, who dived, rescued her and carried her to the poolside. Only then did the medical and paramedical personnel intervene. Transported to the infirmary and examined, Anita (a synchronic who boasts an Olympic participation in Rio and a certain irony if true that in the presentation bio he writes I took the elevator twice with Michael Phelps and I stepped on Michelle Obama’s toes when she hugged me on a visit to the White House ) been judged out of danger. Shortly after, also to reassure everyone about her condition, she returned to the group, welcomed by the embrace of her staff and the applause of all the athletes present in the training pool. it was really a big scare, I had to jump into the water because the lifeguards weren’t doing it – told a Brand the coach, the one who probably saved Anita’s life with her quickness -. The worst thing was realizing that he was not breathing, I got really scared there. Now, however, he has recovered and is fine.

It is still not clear what caused the illness, we think of a mix of heat (the outdoor synchronized swimming pool) and stress for the race. The US team then reported that not the first time it happens to Anita: another fainting occurred to her during qualifying less than a year ago. According to the coach in the next few days Anita will be subjected to other tests to find out the cause of the illness: the plans are to rest her today in the hope that she will be ready to compete tomorrow, Friday 24, in the team free exercise.

In the same race, won by the Japanese Inui, the blue Linda Cerruti, 28, from Genoa, finished in fourth place.