It was during the solo free routine that swimmer Anita Alvarez sank motionless to the bottom of the pool.
In the video, her coach drives in to save her life, bringing her to the surface while Alvarez was still unconscious. The medical team revived her quickly and she is said to be recovering well.
Her hero coach, Andrea Fuentes, said in a statement:
“Anita is okay — the doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc … all is okay.“We sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports. Marathon, cycling, cross country … we all have seen images where some athletes don’t make it to the finish line and others help them to get there,” Fuentes added.
Watch.