Slovakia’s Tamara Potocka Collapses with After 200 IM Heat, Recovering Fine

Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Slovakia’s Tamara Potocka Collapses with After 200 IM Heat, Recovering Fine

Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed after swimming in the preliminary session of the Paris Olympics Friday morning. She has since recovered from the scary moment.

Potocka swam in Heat 3 of the women’s 200 individual medley in Lane 8. She was treated on the deck with supplemental oxygen by medical staff at the Paris La Defense Arena before being taken off the pool deck on a stretcher. It was originally reported by Paris organizers as an asthma attack, but Potocka later hit back at that assessment.

The Paris 2024 media manager of the venue told Reuters that Potocka was conscious and is under medical assessment.

“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 delegation leader Ivana Lange said in a statement. “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.”

Potocka responded on social media a day later with a does of self-deprecation at the moment. She dispelled the notion that she has asthma, instead calling it a moment of total exhaustion.

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A post shared by Tamara Potocká (@tampot0cka)

Potocka wrote in part:

“I told myself that I would go all out and leave my soul in the pool, and that actually happened. unfortunately, due to total exhaustion, I couldn’t leave on my own, so they had to carry me on a stretcher. …

“anyway, I’m fine and I can finally say that I’m an OLYMPIAN!!”

Potocka was 23rd overall, with a time of 2:14.20. The 21-year-old made her international debut at the 2018 World Short-Course Championships. She is in her first Olympics.

(This story was updated on Aug. 7 to reflect clarifications published on social media by Potocka.)

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