Andrea Fuentes Fache (born 7 April 1983 in Valls, Tarragona) is a Spanish swimming coach and former synchronised swimmer. She is the most decorated swimmer in the history of the Spanish national team, with four Olympic, 16 World Championship and 11 European Championship medals: her four Olympic medals also make her the most decorated Spanish female Olympian of all time, alongside Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Mireia Belmonte.
Career
She joined the national synchronised swimming team in 1999. Andrea has competed at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, where she has won four medals in the women's duet and women's team events. She retired from elite competition in January 2013, citing demotivation as a result of a conflict between the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation and the head coach of the national team, Ana Tarrés. Since retiring she has become a synchronised swimming coach.
Coaching
As of 2018, Fuentes became the USA senior national team head coach, working alongside Reem Abdalazem. The two have a pre-established work relationship, having worked together in synchro for four years.
In June of 2022, Fuentes was poolside coaching during the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest in which the USA team was competing. Artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez fainted and sank to the bottom of the pool. Fuentes dove in to bring her to the surface. Medical checks after the rescue showed that Alvarez had apparently recovered and planned on continuing to compete.
In the 2024 Olympic Games she won a silver Olympic medal completing an incredible story from not qualifying to finals to Olympic medal in just 5 years.
Personal life
In 2014 Fuentes gave birth to a son, Kilian, from her relationship with gymnast and fellow Olympian Víctor Cano. Her sister Tina Fuentes, also a synchronized swimmer died in 2018 at the age of 34.
See also
References
- "HistoFINA: Synchronised Swimming - Medals and Statistics" (PDF). FINA. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- "Scoreboard". China Daily. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- "Americans capture two golds to lead medals table". Dawn. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- Llorens, David (8 August 2012). "Fuentes y Carbonell, una plata taquicárdica" [Fuentes and Carbonell, a tachycardic silver]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- "Fallece la nadadora Tina Fuentes a los 34 años". 28 August 2018.
- ^ Torres, Diego (26 January 2013). "Andrea Fuentes se retira de la natación sincronizada" [Andrea Fuentes retires from synchronized swimming]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Casado, Edu (12 November 2014). "Qué fue de… Andrea Fuentes: el éxito de la gran sucesora" [Whatever happened to... Andrea Fuentes: the success of the great successor]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- "Andrea Fuentes Olympic Results". sports-reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- Tronchoni, Nadia (30 January 2013). "Me entristece ver dos bandos" [It saddens me to see two sides fighting]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- "USA Synchro Names Andrea Fuentes New Head Coach Of Senior National Team". USA Synchro. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- "Abdalazem Named National Team Assistant Coach". USA Synchro. November 20, 2018. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- Negley, Cassandra (June 23, 2022). "U.S. swimmer Anita Alvarez rescued by coach Andrea Fuentes after fainting during world championship routine". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- Das, Andrew (23 June 2022). "She Fainted During the World Championships. Her Coach Came to the Rescue". The New York Times.
- Fallece la nadadora Tina Fuentes a los 34 años (in Spanish)
External links
- Andrea Fuentes official site
- London 2012 profile Archived 2013-01-04 at archive.today
- Spanish synchronized swimmers
- Olympic synchronized swimmers for Spain
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic silver medalists for Spain
- Olympic medalists in synchronized swimming
- 1983 births
- Living people
- Olympic bronze medalists for Spain
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- People from Valls
- Sportspeople from the Province of Tarragona
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in synchronised swimming
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships
- Synchronized swimmers at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
- Spanish swimming coaches
- Synchronized swimming coaches
- European Aquatics Championships medalists in synchronised swimming
- Coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympics