Olympic Swimmer Collapses, Taken Away on a Stretcher After Heat

The women’s 200 meter individual medley competition at the Paris Olympics was delayed for about 10 minutes on Friday morning after a swimmer collapsed poolside, and was taken away on a stretcher after receiving treatment.

Tamara Potocká with Team Slovakia had just finished her third heat and had gotten out of the pool at Paris La Défense Arena in in Nanterre, France when she suddenly collapsed on the pool deck. Medical personnel rushed to her side to provide treatment. She was given an oxygen mask on the scene and after several minutes of attention was placed on a stretcher and carried away in a prone position.

The crowd reportedly cheered in support as the 21-year-old was carried away.

Her team has since communicated that she received oxygen therapy and was taken to a local hospital, where she will continue to be monitored by medical staff. A Slovakian official later said that Potocká did not have her inhaler with her at the time.

“Tamara has asthma. This whole combination of nervous and physical tension while she did not have her inhaler immediately available to use contributed to the creation of this problem," Slovakia’s team leader Ivana Lange said in a statement, per The Guardian. “She received oxygen and necessary medication, her condition is constantly monitored. A few minutes ago, the doctor told me that she must be monitored for several more hours.”

Ultimately, Potocka finished in seventh place with a time of 2:14:20, coming in 23rd place overall, which was not enough to qualify for the semifinals and she was eliminated from the competition. Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh ended up winning the heat. The 17-year-old prodigy has already racked up two gold medals at the Paris Olympics so far.

Potocka, a four-time finalist at the 2024 European Championships, was competing in her first Olympic Games. The 200 meter individual medley was her only event in Paris.