Several members of the USA Swimming team are recovering from acute gastroenteritis while competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, a team spokesperson said Sunday. Medical staff have been treating those showing symptoms and advising the team on prevention and recovery, though it was not disclosed which swimmers were affected or how the illness was contracted.
Acute gastroenteritis, often called a stomach bug, causes symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, and vomiting. It can be triggered by viruses, bacteria, parasites, or toxins. The norovirus alone causes hundreds of millions of cases worldwide annually. Some athletes missed events over the weekend; Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske sat out the women’s 100m butterfly to focus on the 4x100m freestyle relay, while Olympian Claire Weinstein skipped the women’s 400m freestyle.
Despite the illness, the team performed well, with Huske, Kate Douglass, Erin Gemmell, and Simone Manuel earning silver in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Manuel expressed pride in the team’s resilience under difficult conditions. The men’s team, including Patrick Sammon, Jack Alexy, Jonny Kulow, and Chris Guiliano, took bronze in their 4x100m freestyle relay, and Katie Ledecky earned bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle.
The USA team plans to continue competing to the best of their ability for the remainder of the championships, which run through August 3.