Anita Alvarez (synchronized swimmer)

Anita Alvarez (born December 2, 1996) is an American artistic and synchronized swimmer. Originally from Buffalo, New York, she attended Kenmore West Senior High School, from which she graduated in 2014. She began her professional synchronized swimming career after she graduated.

Anita Alvarez
Alvarez at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1996-12-02) December 2, 1996 (age 27)
Amherst, New York, U.S.[1]
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportSynchronized swimming
Medal record
Artistic swimming
Representing  United States
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Fukuoka Team acrobatic routine
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Fukuoka Team technical routine
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Doha Team acrobatic routine
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Doha Team free routine
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lima Duet
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lima Team

Career edit

Alvarez competed in the women's duet at the 2016 Summer Olympics with Mariya Koroleva, finishing 9th.[2] She is a member of the USA Synchronized Swimming National Team. She competed at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan and at the 2014 Junior World Championships.

Previously, Alvarez coached intramural swimming in Western New York. As coach for Walnut Creek Aquanuts, she saw them to the 2019 Junior Olympics in Buffalo, New York.

She qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's duet, alongside Lindi Schroeder. The pair finished 13th in their preliminary, failing to advance to the final.[3][4]

She was named USA Synchro Athlete of the Year along with Mariya Koroleva in 2016 and in 2019. She was also named USA's Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year in 2021.

At the end of her solo free routine at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest on June 22, Alvarez fainted in the pool and sank to the bottom. Her coach Andrea Fuentes jumped into the pool to rescue her and she received medical attention afterward.[5] FINA subsequently barred her from participating in the team free routine final on June 24.[6] Alvarez had previously fainted during the FINA Olympic Qualification Tournament in Barcelona in June 2021, also being rescued by Fuentes on that occasion.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "Anita Alvarez". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Anita Alvarez". Rio 2016 Olympics. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  3. ^ OlympicTalk (June 16, 2021). "U.S. Olympic team roster: Athletes qualified for Tokyo Games". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Preliminary results" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Esther Addley (June 23, 2022). "Dramatic rescue at world championships after swimmer faints and sinks to bottom of pool". The Guardian.
  6. ^ "FINA ban Anita Alvarez from competing at World Championships". Marca. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "Anita Alvarez: Coach rescues swimmer who fainted in pool at World Aquatics Championships in Budapest". euronews.com. June 23, 2022.

External links edit