Olympic swimmer collapses and given oxygen before being taken away on a stretcher | Other | Sport

Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocka was carried away on a stretcher and given oxygen after taking part in the women’s 200-metre individual medley at the Olympics.

The 21-year-old collapsed after climbing out of the water and was immediately surrounded by medics at the poolside.

Potocka was later taken away on a stretcher and was spotted with an oxygen mask as she left the arena. The scary incident took place after she had finished seventh in the third heat of the event in the morning session at La Defense Arena in Nanterre.

The venue’s media manager confirmed that Potocka was conscious and under medical assessment, according to Reuters. It is currently unclear whether or not she received CPR, with the nature of the treatment provided by medics yet to be disclosed.

Potocka’s legs buckled as she climbed out of the pool before tumbling to the ground, with the swimmer managing to sit upright for a few seconds before falling backwards. It quickly became apparent that something was seriously wrong with commentators expressing their concern to viewers.

One broadcaster said: “This doesn’t look good. 15,000 people are now watching an athlete surrounded by medical staff and I can assure you it’s absolutely silent in here.

“They’ve got a stretcher out. They’ve got an oxygen mask on the athlete and I’m going to say this looks very serious.

“They’ve got the neck brace around so I can only imagine that someone has hit their head and has some kind of trauma. They want to immobilise the athlete. We hope that there’s nothing more than that.”

Earlier on Friday, another Olympian needed a stretcher after picking up what appeared to be a serious injury. South Sudanese sprinter Lucia Moris collapsed in agony during the women’s 100 metre sprint preliminary round and was seen clutching her right leg while on the ground.

Moris remained in a heap on the floor several minutes after the race had concluded as she was tended to by medical staff. She was eventually carried off on a stretcher, with Congolese athlete Natacha Ngoye claiming victory in a time of 11.34 seconds.