shallow water blackout 'a risk in every aquatic sport'
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topshot - a member of team usa (r) recovers usa's anita alvarez (l), from the bottom of the pool during an incendent in the women's solo free artistic swimming finals, during the budapest 2022 world aquatics championships at the alfred hajos swimming complex in budapest on june 22, 2022.
photo by oli scarff / afp
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the world watched in horror as an elite synchronized swimmer appeared to pass out in the water and had to be rescued by her coach. anita alvarez, 25, a two-time olympian, had just completed her solo routine at the world aquatics championships in budapest in june 2022 when she began to sink to the bottom of the pool, unconscious.
“i remember feeling like it was a really great performance,” alvarez told nbc nightly news. ” … and then i remember going down and just being, kind of like, uh oh, like, i don’t feel too great, and that’s literally the last thing i remember.”
alvarez, who finished in seventh place, described feeling numbness in her fingers before everything quickly went black.
“it all happened really fast,” she said.
in a video rapidly spread across the internet, alvarez’s coach andrea fuentes dove into the water to bring the swimmer to the surface. a lifeguard then joined fuentes, helping to take alvarez to the side of the pool where a team helped get her onto a stretcher.
reports indicate alvarez was not breathing for a full two minutes before being revived.
“i think she was at least two minutes without breathing because her lungs were full of water,” fuentes said, according to yahoo! sport. “she vomited the water, coughed and that was it, but it was a big scare.”
fuentes herself is a four-time olympic medallists, having previously been on represented spain in synchronized swimming. this is the second time she has jumped into the water during a competition; alvarez previously required assistance during the olympics qualifying event in barcelona.
shallow water blackout a risk in every aquatic sport
it is unclear if alvarez experienced shallow water blackout or a separate condition, however, jennifer keith, executive director of bc artistic swimming, says it’s a risk in every aquatic sport.
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shallow water blackout, also known as hypoxic blackout, occurs when an individual holds their breath for too long, often during bouts of physical activity. before going underwater for an extended period of time, swimmers will often take deep breaths to try and get enough air to tide them over. if they over-breathe or hyperventilate, however, carbon dioxide levels in the blood can drop. this is dangerous because that feeling of “i need to breathe” is triggered by the buildup of carbon dioxide — having artificially low levels means the athlete may not realize they’ve run out of air and can pass out while still in the water.
“training is so very important is to teach the athletes how to take those proper breaths before going under to avoid this from happening,” says keith.
if a swimmer passes out, the body responds by taking a breath, which can be dangerous if their face is in the water. due to these risks, many pools have outright banned the practice of swimming long distances or spending extended amount of time under water.
coaches are also taught to watch swimmers closely for any sign that they are in trouble, as momentum can sometimes make it difficult to determine if the swimmer is just coasting or if something more serious has occurred.
michael shane, director of safety standards and management training at the lifesaving society, explains that anyone playing or working out in a pool should limit the distances they swim underwater and avoid taking multiple breaths before doing so. always swimming with a buddy is another cardinal rule to ensure everyone stays safe while in the water.
alvarez “feeling good”
alvarez was evaluated by medical staff and was “feeling good” after the event, however, she did not compete in the team free event later on in the week.
“we sometimes forget that this happens in other high-endurance sports,” fuentes said in a statement posted on the usa artistic swimming instagram. “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. our sport is no different than others, just in a pool, we push through limits and sometimes we find them. anita feels good now and the doctors also say she is ok.”
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emma jones is a multimedia editor with healthing. you can reach her at emjones@postmedia.com or on instagram and twitter @jonesyjourn.
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