Swimmer Tamara Potocká reveals why she collapsed after race: "I just couldn’t breathe."/lo

Slovak swimmer Tamara Potocká shares cause of her collapse poolside after the women’s 200-meter individual medley heats at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Slovakia’s Tamara Potocka receives medical treatment following the Women’s 200m Individual Medley Heats on August 2, 2024 in Paris, France.Isabel Infantes/PA Images / Getty Images

Tamara Potocká, a swimmer from Slovakia, is opening up about her frightening collapse poolside at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Last Friday morning, Aug. 2, Potocká suddenly collapsed on the pool deck after racing in the qualifying heat of the women’s 200-meter individual medley event at the Paris La Défense Arena.

The 21-year-old, who is competing in her first Olympic Games, was immediately surrounded by medical personnel who performed first aid. After about a minute, Potocká was carried off the pool deck on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask. Medical staff at the pool said Potocká was conscious, The Associated Press previously reported.

A Slovakia Olympic and Sports Committee spokesperson told the AP that Potocká was transferred to the hospital in the Olympic Village where a team doctor was waiting for her.

“(She) improved significantly soon after oxygen therapy and the delivery of medication. The same day she was discharged from medical care,” Dr. Lubomir Soucek, press attache of the Slovak Olympic Team, told TODAY.com in a statement via email.

Potocká also released the following statement shortly after leaving the Olympic village hospital: “Everything is fine, you don’t have to worry about me. Thank you for your support.”

It was originally reported by multiple outlets that Potocká suffered an asthma attack. Slovakia’s team leader, Ivana Lange, said in a statement that “this combination of nervous and physical tension while she did not have her inhaler immediately available to use contributed to the creation of this problem,” Reuters reported.

The following day, Potocká took to social media to address the chilling moment and clarify why she collapsed, and that she did not suffer an asthma attack after the race.

“I told myself that I would go all out and leave my soul in the pool, and that actually happened,” Potocká wrote in an Instagram post shared on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, due to total exhaustion, I couldn’t leave on my own, so they had to carry me on a stretcher. No, I didn’t drop out or have an asthma attack‼️ I just couldn’t breathe and move my whole body,” said Potocká. adding that she is now “fine.”

The first-time Olympian, who resides in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, went on in the caption of the post to address the pressure of performing in front of a large audience.

“What do you think it feels like to be watched by 15,000 people? I wanted to do well so much, that I started too fast, but because I am a fighter and I didn’t want to give up, it caught up with me at the end of the track, because I wanted to squeeze everything out of myself.”

“That happens when an athlete reaches the very bottom of his strength, just to achieve the best possible result and please his loved ones.”

Potocká finished seventh in her heat of the women’s 200-meter individual medley. Her time of two minutes and 14.20 seconds did not advance her to the semifinals, which eliminated her from the Olympic Games.

On Sunday, Aug. 4, Potocká returned back to Slovakia.