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American Olympian Anita Alvarez needed to be rescued from the pool when she fainted and nearly drowned at the World Aquatics Championships in June 2022.
The artistic swimmer eventually helped Team USA win a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games, but it was the moment when her coach rushed into the pool to save her two years prior that stuck with the sports world for months before the Olympics began.
She opened up about the incident in an interview with People magazine, which was published on Saturday.
“I remember suddenly beginning to see light through my eyes, and thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not breathing,’ just as they were starting to put an oxygen mask on me,’” she said.
Alvarez said the entire incident “blew up way more than” she would have thought.
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“But learning how those photos inspired people changed the way I looked at it,” she said.
Alvarez is now focused on her career outside the pool. She joined the U.S. Air Force and graduated from basic training in January. She is a member of the World Class Athletic Program, which helps military members continue their training while serving the country.
She has since returned to the pool to gear up for the world championships later this year in Singapore with hopes of returning to Team USA for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Alvarez has three bronze and one silver medal in the world championships.
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