A US artistic swimmer was dramatically saved from the bottom of the pool by her coach when she fainted after her solo routine at the World Aquatics Championships.

Anita Álvarez, 25, had just completed her solo free final at the championships in Budapest on Wednesday when she collapsed and sank to the bottom of the pool.

Her coach, Andrea Fuentes, soon realised something was wrong and dived fully clothed into the pool to rescue Álvarez and pull her up to the surface.

The swimmer, who is competing at her third world championships, was not breathing when Fuentes and another helper dragged her poolside.

Fans and teammates were emotional as she was taken away on a stretcher to the medical centre – but Team USA later issued a statement saying she was “okay”.

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Common swimming pool injuries that often lead to an emergency room trip. Bryan Thibodeau, MD, emergency medicine physician with Medical City Healthcare talks about the most common swimming pool injuries and how to prevent a trip to the emergency room.

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