Thriving After a Near-Death Experience

THE SWIMMER ALMOST DROWNED WHILE COMPETING THREE YEARS AGOA HARROWING MOMENT THAT MADE GLOBAL HEADLINES. SHE REBOUNDED TO WIN A MEDAL AND JUST JOINED THE AIR FORCE (BUT WON'T STOP COMPETING!)

- By JOHNNY DODD

Even three years later the image of an unconscious Anita Alvarez sinking to the bottom of a pool in Budapest—moments after completing her routine in the 2022 FINA World Championships—is haunting. “It was definitely a little hard to see at first,” she recalls of the viral photographs taken as her alarmed coach dived into the water to save her. “I remember suddenly beginning to see light through my eyes,” the Team USA artistic swimmer says, “and thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not breathing,’ just as they were starting to put an oxygen mask on me.”