The American artistic swimmer Anita Álvarez, 25, spoke to the press after the episode on Wednesday (22) in which she lost consciousness in the pool during choreography in the women’s free competition solo.
Anita was rescued from the bottom of the pool by her trainer at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Coach Andrea Fuentes jumped into the pool after realizing that the athlete sank at the end of the performance.
In an interview with the newspaper El País, Anita told details about moments before she fainted. “I felt that everything went black. I don’t remember anything else,” she said.
At images of the swimmer’s rescue are shocking . However, she reveals that incidents like this are common in synchronized swimming and that, after the shock, she saw beauty in the images captured by the press.
“At first I was shocked. I didn’t expect them to publish something like this. I did not want to view the image with pessimism. Now, I think the photos are even beautiful somehow – seeing me there under the water, so peaceful, so silent, and then seeing Andrea [a treinadora]with her arm outstretched trying to reach me, as if she were a superhero […] Sometimes the most peaceful place on earth is underwater, when you sit at the bottom of the pool in silence,” he says.
In the interview, the athlete highlights the body effort required to perform synchronized swimming performances.
“As in any sport, we push our body to the limit and sometimes we even go a little too far. People don’t understand because what they see is an image of harmony and happiness. We smile with makeup. These little things hide the hard work we put in,” she says.
The sportswoman reports that she was committed to the choreography and that she struggled to complete the performance.
“This time I was very focused on my role, living the moment intensely. continued, continued […] Sometimes you feel pain and you have to stop. It’s like athletics. I was tired as usual, but I was enjoying it,” she says.
“When we finish training, we feel like we’re dead. We couldn’t even move. People are unaware that these faintings are frequent. I attracted attention because it happened at a Worlds, but in this sport every day there are female swimmers who faint. It didn’t just happen to me,” she reveals.
Anita says that she intends to resume activities soon. “I rested a lot, all night and all day. My body feels completely normal. It had already happened to me. Rest and the next day return to the water. You have to do that so you don’t fill your head with fears,” she says.
According to the sportswoman, the doctors have already evaluated her state of health. “I want to finish this competition. I’m very happy with my solo and now I don’t want to miss the commitment I have with my team in the free final. I want to end with my head held high. I want my colleagues to feel that they can trust me,” she highlighted.
(Posted by Lucas Rocha of CNN)
Source: CNN Brasil
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