Swimmer Tamara Potocka collapses after 200M IM race at the Olympics following an asthma attack

NANTERRE, France (AP) — Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed poolside Friday morning after a qualifying heat of the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics when she had an asthma attack, a team spokesman said.

Potocka, 21, was given first aid and carried off on a stretcher while wearing an oxygen mask. Medical personal at the pool said she was conscious.

“They transferred her to the hospital in the Olympic Village and our team doctor is waiting for her there,” Slovakia Olympic Committee spokesman Lubomír Souček told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Potocka collapsed as she got out of the water and almost immediately was surrounded by a half-dozen medical attendants who put her on a stretcher after about a minute and carried her off the pool deck.

It was not clear if she received CPR.

Israeli swimmer Lea Polonsky, who swam two heats after Potocka, said swimmers know their sport has inherent risks.

“Of course that’s something in the back of your mind, but we do every day push ourselves to the limit,” she added. “You always know something like that can happen. It’s not something you think about during the race, but it’s always there.”

This is Potocka’s first Olympics. She lives in the Slovakian capital Bratislava.

Potocka finished seventh in her heat in a time of 2 minutes, 14.20 seconds. Her time was not fast enough to advance her to the semifinals of the event, which eliminated her from the competition.