The coast guard never intervened when Anita Alvarez (25) sank to the bottom of the pool. The 25-year-old is now denied any further participation in the World Cup.

An image of Anita Alvarez drowning to the bottom of a pool has spread around the world. The American artist swimmer scared many people, including himself, when he passed out in the water during the World Cup in Budapest.

– I gave everything I had until the end, and then I started to sink. “Oh no, I’m not feeling well,” I thought. The last thing I remember is that I started sinking to the bottom, he said NBC.

Thanks to the smart and heroic helpers, time underwater is limited. America’s head coach Andrea Fuentes and the others quickly fell to the bottom of the pool, and rescued the helpless Alvarez to safety.

– It was a scary experience. “I had to dive into the water because the bodyguards didn’t,” Fuentes told Marca.

Alvarez did not breathe for two minutes during the dramatic event. The athlete was still planning to participate in Friday’s team competition in the WC, but has now been turned down by the International Swimming Federation.

– I’m scared because I can’t see if he’s breathing. Now he is thankfully feeling good, and back on top, continued the coach.

The reason why the coast guard doesn’t intervene should be rules made to avoid the competition being cut off unnecessarily.

– According to the rules, only lifeguards are allowed to jump into the pool after receiving a physical signal from the jury, WC security manager Béla Merkely told Sweden atonbladet.

In a statement, the American artist’s swimming team confirmed that all of Alzarez’s internal organs were functioning normally.

However, this is not the first time Alvarez has fainted in the pool. During Olympic qualifiers in June last year, he lost consciousness for a moment. Even then, Fuentes came to the rescue.

– It’s easy to forget that such things can happen in endurance sports. We’ve all seen pictures of marathoners, cyclists, and runners who don’t make it to the finish line and need help. Our sport is no different than others, but we are in the pool. We push the limits, and sometimes we reach them, explained coach Fuentes.

According to Alvarez’s mother, similar incidents have occurred outside the pool in the past.