'Two Minutes Without Breathing': Coach On Drama As Swimmer Faints In Pool At World Championships

Artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez went "at least two minutes without breathing" after she fainted and dropped to the bottom of the pool at the world championships, said her quick-thinking coach who saved her life. "I think she was at least two minutes without breathing because her lungs were full of water," said coach Andrea Fuentes, a four-time Olympic artistic swimming medallist, adding that the swimmer's heart was beating. "She vomited the water, coughed and that was it, but it was a big scare," Fuentes said.

The 25-year-old had sunk to the bottom of the pool after passing out at the conclusion of her routine during Wednesday night's solo free final in Budapest.

Meanwhile, as it emerged that Alvarez had fainted while previously competing, local organisers and the sport's governing body came under fire after lifeguards were accused of not reacting quick enough to the incident.

Fuentes, could see warning signs that Alvarez was in trouble.

'She was going down'

"I saw her feet were a little more white than normal so I though her blood was not going as normal," Fuentes told the BBC. "Normally when you finish what you really want to do is breathe but instead of going up, she was going down."

Fuentes, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, dived to the bottom of the pool and dragged Alvarez to the surface.

"It was a big scare. I had to jump in because the lifeguards weren't doing it," Fuentes told Spanish media.

"When I saw her sinking, I looked at the rescuers, but I saw that they were stunned. They didn't react."

"I thought, 'Will you jump in now?' My reflexes kicked in."

Alvarez was taken on a stretcher to the pool's medical centre, with teammates and fans appearing to be in shock poolside, with some in tears consoling each other.