Rescuer a former world champion
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BUDAPEST • Team USA's artistic swimming head coach Andrea Fuentes became a hero overnight after she dramatically rescued an unconscious Anita Alvarez from the bottom of the pool at the world championships on Wednesday.
But while little is known about the 39-year-old, the Spaniard is the most decorated artistic swimmer in the history of the Spanish team.
Over her career from 1999 to 2013, she won four Olympic medals (three silvers and one bronze) in 2008 and 2012, 16 world championship medals, including one gold, and 11 European championship medals (five golds).
She has the joint-most Olympic medals among all Spanish women Olympians, alongside tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (two silvers and two bronzes) and swimmer Mireia Belmonte (one gold, two silvers and one bronze).
Alvarez, 25, competed at the 2014 junior world championships and the world meet a year later.
The Mexican-American had her first taste of Olympic action when she paired up with Mariya Koroleva in the duet at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. They finished ninth overall.
At Tokyo 2020 last year, she partnered Lindi Schroeder and the duo ended in 13th place.
Alvarez's biggest achievements came in 2019 when she clinched bronze medals for the duet and team at the Lima Pan American Games.
She earned the USA Synchro Athlete of the Year award that same year and she was named USA's Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year last year.