Latest news with #WorldClassAthleteProgram
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Team USA swimmer who nearly drowned during competition reveals surprising new career change
Team USA artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez, who nearly drowned at a competition when she fainted and sank to the bottom of the pool, has revealed her impressive new career chapter. The Olympic silver medalist fell unconscious just moments after completing her routine in the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, with haunting viral images of her coach, Andrea Fuentes, diving into the pool to save her from the near-death experience. 4 Three years after a Team USA artistic swimmer nearly drowned when she went unconscious and sank to the bottom of a pool, she has revealed she graduated from basic Air Force training in January. Kurstyn Canida / USAF Now, three years since her brush with death, the swimmer has revealed she joined the Air Force as a recruit, People Magazine reported. Alvarez, 28, returned to swimming to help her team win a silver medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics, but the three-time Olympian, now known as 'Airman Alvarez,' graduated from basic training in January, the outlet reported. 4 After the near-death experience, Alvarez decided to embark on a new career prospect while continuing to train for future Olympic games. AFP via Getty Images She attended training at Joint Base San Antonio- Lackland and is now a member of the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), made for Team USA athletes who want to join the forces while training. 'Being able to wear two uniforms and get to prepare full time for the next Olympics while also representing the US Air Force just seemed like something I couldn't pass up,' Alvarez told the outlet. She is the first medalist and 15th Olympian to join the special recruit program. 'It's a very cool opportunity,' Alzarez said. Her close call in 2022 led the Buffalo, New York, native to become even more disciplined as an athlete, she remarked. 4 She is the first medalist and 15th Olympian to join the special recruit program. 37th Training Wing '[The incident] blew up way more than I ever thought,' she said. 'But learning how those photos inspired people changed the way I looked at it.' The experience led Alvarez to feel she was at a crossroads in her career — and joining the Air Force felt like a logical next step. 'A lot of athletes struggle with the question of 'what's next?' when they think about the end of their career and try to figure out what they want to do in the real world,' she told the outlet. Though training took her out of the pool for a long stint, she said her time at the Texas base 'prepared me to return to my team as a better leader and a better person.' 4 Alvarez said her time training at the Texas base prepared her to be 'a better leader and a better person.' 37th Training Wing Alvarez has been practicing for the 2025 world championships in Singapore in July and plans on attending the 2028 Summer Olympics — but ultimately is looking forward to her continuing her Air Force career. 'I have aspirations to continue serving after [2028]. But right now, the passion for my sport is still there. I'd do it forever if I could,' she said. 'While I cherish my time as a professional athlete, it is also very exciting to have something to look forward to when that time is up.'
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Team USA swimmer Anita Alvarez, who nearly drowned in 2022, shares major health and life update
Image Credits: Alvarez breaks silence, reflects on near-death experience Anita Alvarez , the Team USA artistic swimmer who made headlines for nearly drowning during the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, has opened up about her health recovery and future plans. The 28-year-old athlete, who was dramatically pulled from the pool by her coach, Andrea Fuentes , after blacking out mid-performance, is doing 'better than ever' since the life-threatening scare. In an exclusive interview with People, Alvarez shared details about the harrowing moment when she lost consciousness in the water. 'I remember suddenly beginning to see light through my eyes and thinking 'Oh, I'm not breathing,' just as they were starting to put an oxygen mask on me,' she recalled. Despite the life-threatening experience, Alvarez remains determined to continue competing and achieving personal goals both in and out of the pool. From tragedy to triumph: Alvarez's unyielding spirit Alvarez's strength has been evident ever since that fateful day in Budapest. Following the near-drowning, Alvarez has made impressive strides, including her recent silver medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics . 'I'm doing better than ever,' she said, further proving that the near-death experience hasn't set her back. However, the Olympic swimmer 's journey isn't just about synchro swimming anymore. Inspired by a new sense of purpose, Alvarez has pursued a new passion by joining the US Air Force through the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), which allows top athletes to serve while continuing to train for Olympic competition. Image Credits: Instagram/Anitaaalvarez 'I just couldn't pass up the chance to wear two uniforms, representing the US Air Force while training full-time for the next Olympics,' Alvarez explained. She enrolled in basic training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and graduated from WCAP in January as the program's first gold medalist and the 15th Olympian it has supported. Looking ahead, Alvarez plans to continue her Olympic career, with the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in her sights. Afterward, she intends to pursue a full-time career with the Air Force, blending her passion for athletics with her service to the country. 'While I cherish my time as a professional athlete, it's exciting to have something to look forward to when that time is up,' she added. Facing health struggles: Alvarez opens up about past medical episodes Before the terrifying ordeal in Budapest, Alvarez had already faced other health challenges. In 2021, during an Olympic qualifying event in Barcelona, she passed out after a duet performance. Her coach, Andrea Fuentes, had to dive into the pool to pull her out. Reflecting on that moment, Alvarez told NPR, 'I remember feeling like I was in a hamster wheel. Everything was spinning, then went dark. I woke up at the side of the pool and realized I'm at a competition. 'Wait, I am the competition.' Everyone's staring at me.' Following that incident, Alvarez underwent medical testing to identify any underlying health issues, though she admitted, 'Tokyo came up so fast, and I don't think I did the best job of being on top of it.' Despite some uncertainty, she pushed forward, making her way to the Tokyo Olympics . However, the incident in Budapest was far more dramatic. As photos and video footage showed, Alvarez was unresponsive and had to be rescued by Fuentes and a lifeguard. Fuentes later spoke out about the difficulty of the sport. In an interview with People , Fuentes explained, 'The sport is extremely hard. Sometimes people pass out. Our job is to discover our limits, that's what we do as athletes.' She further explained that Alvarez's incident was the result of pushing herself to her absolute limits, adding, 'It was her best performance ever, she just pushed through her limits and she found them.' Following the rescue, Fuentes reassured the public that Alvarez was okay once she was pulled from the water, explaining, "She only had water in her lungs; once she started breathing again, everything was okay." Alvarez herself shared that she was grateful for the outpouring of support, saying on Instagram that she was "OK and healthy," thanking fans for their messages of support. A bright future and the impact of her story Despite the terrifying images and the media frenzy that followed, Alvarez has taken an inspiring approach to the ordeal. 'It blew up way more than I ever thought,' she said, reflecting on the widespread attention the incident received. But Alvarez's perspective changed after learning how the photos of her rescue inspired others. 'Learning how those photos inspired people changed the way I looked at it,' she admitted. While she was banned from competing in the team final at the 2022 World Championships, Alvarez's courage and determination have remained unchanged. Just 48 hours later, she was back on track, earning her place on the team for future competitions. Her return to top form in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she earned a silver medal, proved that the Budapest incident did not define her. Looking to the future, Alvarez is eager to return to training for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. "It was the longest I'd ever been out of a pool" after her post-Olympic time in the WCAP, she said, but her passion for her sport is as strong as ever. 'I'd do it forever if I could,' Alvarez concluded, reaffirming her commitment to her career as a swimmer while also balancing her dual role as an Airman in the US Air Force.
Associated Press
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Del Duca's fourth-place finish for USA Bobsled at world championships fuels his appetite for more
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Frank Del Duca has some of U.S. bobsled great Steven Holcomb's tools in his possession. Actual tools, as in ones that Holcomb used to tune up his sleds when he was the world's best bobsledder. When Holcomb died, the tools made their way to Del Duca. And maybe there's still some magic in them. Del Duca matched his best finish in a major international race on Sunday, finishing fourth in the two-man world championship on USA Bobsled's home track at Mount Van Hoevenberg. He couldn't break through the German barricade atop the podium — Francesco Friedrich won, Johannes Lochner was second and Adam Ammour was third to lead a sweep of the medals — but Del Duca was right there all the way to the end. 'Really, really wanted a medal,' said Del Duca, who teamed with Charlie Volker to finish fourth, less than a quarter-second away from Ammour's bronze-medal time. 'I see where I gave up some time. And you just have to be perfect to duke it out with the Germans. They're a very strong program, top to bottom. And we're knocking on the door. But there's just a little more I need to do to be really, really fighting it out with them.' Del Duca is the pilot of USA-1, which makes him America's best men's bobsled hope right now going into an Olympics in 11 months. He's had top-10 finishes in 14 of his last 17 World Cup two-man races and now has back-to-back top-five finishes in two-man at the world championships. A big-stage medal hasn't come his way yet, but he's getting closer. 'It'd be nice to break that 1-2-3 German streak,' fellow U.S. men's pilot Kris Horn said. 'They're still ahead of us. But we're catching up quick.' Del Duca and Volker were fourth in all four of the two-man heats over the two-day competition this weekend in Lake Placid. 'It's lit a fire under all of us to know that we are here, duking it out with the best in the world — which means we're amongst the best in the world,' Del Duca said. 'And it's time to bring home some hardware and really put on a great race for the fans and everyone out here supporting us.' He's part of a long line of soldiers-turned-bobsledders. Del Duca is part of the U.S. Army and its World Class Athlete Program, which has helped support U.S. sliders for years. He calls it a dual privilege to wear the U.S. colors both as a soldier and a slider. 'It's probably the biggest honor I've had,' Del Duca said. 'It's something I'm incredibly grateful for. I don't take it lightly. It's an opportunity. And it's also an obligation to represent the country, the team, my family, friends, the organization, everyone I've associated with and everyone that's helped me get here.' ___
