Sports
Anita Alvarez banned from competing in synchronized team final after fainting at World Championship
FINA has decided that the U.S. synchronized swimming team athlete is not in optimal condition to compete, even though the team had agreed to return to the pool
June 24, 2022 3:46pm
Updated: June 24, 2022 4:57pm
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) did not allow U.S. swimmer Anita Alvarez to compete in the synchronized swimming team final of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after she fainted in the pool.
The athlete did not compete with her teammates in the free exercise team final for which the U.S. team had qualified and which eventually placed ninth in the event won by China.
The terrible situation experienced during the Budapest World Championships, when Alvarez fainted during her individual routine, and the U.S. coach jumped into the pool to save her, has ended with the worst possible decision for the American, who missed one of the big events of the tournament.
Following the last-minute order from the International Swimming Federation, Alvarez will be left out of the remainder of the championships.
El Mundial de natación termina para Anita Álvarez. La FINA prohíbe su participación en la final de hoy, a pesar de que la deportista y el equipo de EEUU habían acordado su regreso a la piscina tras el desmayo en el agua el miércoles. Por @diegotorresro https://t.co/NYSck9FpkZ
— EL PAÍS Deportes (@elpais_deportes) June 24, 2022
Andrea Fuentes, the coach of the U.S. team, the doctors of the U.S. federation, and the swimmer had agreed on Thursday to participate in the final of the group free routine.
"I want to finish these World Championships with my head held high," declared Anita Alvarez. "I want to be with my teammates in the final, I don't want to disappoint them." But the FINA ban did not allow her to continue.
"En esta rutina me encontraba genial, tan cansada como siempre pero disfrutando. Y cuando sentí que por fin podía permitirme relajarme fue cuando todo se volvió negro. No recuerdo nada más", cuenta Anita Álvarez, la nadadora que se desmayó en el agua https://t.co/RhARl0Ktv7
— EL PAÍS (@el_pais) June 24, 2022
China won gold in the team event, followed by Ukraine and Japan, who took the silver and bronze medals. Nevertheless, the United States continues to dominate the Budapest World Swimming Championships medal tally with 15 titles, far ahead of Australia, China, and Italy.
