Olympic swimmer collapses after heat race, carried off on stretcher

Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed poolside Friday greeting aft a qualifying power of nan women’s 200-meter individual medley astatine nan Paris Olympics. She was fixed first assistance and past carried disconnected connected a stretcher.

Potocka, 21, was seen wearing an oxygen disguise arsenic she was taken distant for aesculapian attention. Medical individual astatine nan excavation said she was conscious.

Potocka collapsed arsenic she sewage retired of nan h2o and almost instantly was surrounded by a half-dozen aesculapian attendants who put her connected a stretcher aft astir a infinitesimal and carried her disconnected nan excavation deck.

It was not clear if she received CPR.

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Israeli swimmer Lea Polonsky, who swam 2 heats aft Potocka, said swimmers cognize their athletics has inherent risks.

“Of people that’s thing successful nan backmost of your mind, but we do each time push ourselves to nan limit,” she added. “You ever cognize thing for illustration that tin happen. It’s not thing you deliberation astir during nan race, but it’s ever there.”

This is Potocka’s first Olympics. She resides successful nan Slovakian superior of Bratislava.

Potocka vanished seventh successful her power successful a clip of 2 minutes, 14.20 seconds. Her clip was not accelerated capable to beforehand her to nan semifinals of nan event, which eliminated her from nan competition.