Slovakian athlete Tamara Potocka collapsed after finishing a swim at the Olympic Games on Friday morning, leaving the spectators at the Paris Aquatics Centre in shock as she was hurriedly carried away on a stretcher.
The 21-year-old competed in a heat of the women's 200-meter individual medley at 10:30 AM BST and climbed out of the pool after finishing seventh, missing the chance to qualify for the next rounds. However, moments later, her legs gave way, causing her to fall to the ground. The swimmer sat poolside for a few seconds before slumping backward, even as another eight swimmers prepared for the next heat.
More Horror at Olympic Games
Organizers noticed something was wrong and delayed the next swim as medical personnel arrived at the scene. Medics quickly placed an oxygen mask over the young Slovakian's face, who was lying still, before carefully placing her on a stretcher and rushing her out of the La Defense arena while her British competitor Abbie Wood watched in shock.
This incident occurred as two other athletes suffered seemingly serious injuries at Paris' Stade de France on Friday as the athletics events began in the French capital.
For a few moments after Potocka's swim, no one realized the Slovak athlete was struggling. The live broadcast showed eight new competitors at the starting blocks, getting ready to dive in as the commentators began previewing the next heat.
However, the camera then pulled back to show Potocka, in a blue skinsuit, still sitting just feet from the poolside, visibly exhausted.
She remained there as the swimmers for the next heat took their marks. Moments later, she slumped backward and lay prone on the tiles.
Commentators noticed something was wrong, and the next heat was delayed as medical staff rushed to assist her poolside. "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," one broadcaster said as they witnessed medical staff crowding around the swimmer.
"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," he said.
Tense Moment
After a tense 30 minutes, the venue's media manager confirmed that Potocka was conscious and under medical evaluation but provided no further updates on her condition. Potocka finished seventh in her heat with a time of 2 minutes, 14.20 seconds. The time was not sufficient to advance her to the semifinals, resulting in her elimination from the competition.
Her British rival, Abbie Wood, finished fourth with a time of 2:10.95, just behind Australia's Ella Ramsay, who finished third with a time of 2:10.75.
Potocka's alarming collapse occurred minutes after South Sudanese athlete Lucia Moris was also carried off the track at the Stade de France, having sustained what appeared to be a severe leg injury during the preliminary round of the women's 100-meter sprint.
Moris seemed to suffer a sudden tear midway through the race, causing the 23-year-old to stumble and fall in agony about 30 meters from the finish line.
She had begun the race strongly in the inside lane but clearly experienced severe pain after one particular step, which led her to pull up and fall.
Medical staff quickly rushed to the track to assist her once the race ended.
