Stomach Bug Takes Down US Swimmers at Worlds

It's the worst possible time to get sick. Several members of the USA Swimming team were hit with acute gastroenteritis—aka the stomach bug—while at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, a rep for the team told NPR on Sunday. The medical staff is treating affected athletes and guiding the team on how to recover and avoid further spread. The Athletic reports "it was not clear how much of the team was impacted, but several US swimmers either were pulled from races or noticeably struggled on the first day of competition." The illness reportedly developed at a training camp held in Phuket, Thailand, and followed the team to Singapore.

NPR notes Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske sat out the women's 100m butterfly on Sunday, while Claire Weinstein opted out of the women's 400m freestyle race. The Athletic adds Gretchen Walsh was pulled from the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay final Sunday, though Huske, alongside Kate Douglass, Erin Gemmell, and Simone Manuel, captured silver in that race. The men's relay team claimed bronze, and Katie Ledecky added a bronze in the 400m freestyle. Symptoms of acute gastroenteritis can include nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting. The illness is often caused by viruses such as norovirus, but bacteria, parasites, or even certain medicines can also be to blame. The World Aquatics Championships wrap up Aug. 3.