"Katherine embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, as a global ambassador of the sport," the ISA said of the surfer, whose brother, Jose Diaz, is the president of FESASURF. Katherine Diaz, 22, was emerging from the water on El Tunco beach overlooking the Pacific in the southwest of the country. The International Surfing Association (ISA) 2021 Surf City El Salvador World Surfing Games are set to be held from May 29 to June 6 at the La Bocana and El Sunzal beaches and will act as the final qualifying tournament for Tokyo 2020, where surfing will be making its debut Olympic appearance. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - A member of El Salvadors national surfing team died Friday after she was struck by lightning while training, the countrys National Institute of Sports (INDES) confirmed.
"She, the friend, was thrown by the force of the lightning strike too, the board threw me back. "Katherine came over to hug her, as soon as she finished hugging her, the noise was heard," Diaz's uncle, Beto Diaz, who says he was in the water with her, told a newspaper in El Salvador "'The Paddle Out' - a ceremony in her honor - will be held next Tuesday."Įl Salvador's National Institute for Sport (INDES) said: "We raise a prayer for the eternal rest of her soul and we express our most sincere condolences to her family." She had already taken part in various international competitions and won a national competition last November."Katherine was a girl very passionate about sports, she was very motivated and happy for the event that was approaching," it said in a statement. ”The El Salvador Surf Association also remembered the late athlete:“ We'll see each other again, great fighter.ĭíaz started surfing at the age of nine, inspired by her brother José Díaz, who is now the association's president. Olympic hopeful Katherine Diaz, 22, was practicing for a qualifying round when she was struck by lightning while in the water. She was a global ambassador for the sport. A great athlete who has represented our country has left us, the Salvadoran. (Twitter/ISA) Katherine Diaz, El Salvador’s top surfer, who had been preparing for the sport’s Olympic debut this summer, has died after being struck by lightning. She embodied the joy and energy that makes surfing so special and important to us. El Salvador surfer Katherine Diaz passed away at the age of 22 after being struck by lightning. The International Surfing Association (ISA) wrote on its Facebook page: “It is with a heavy heart that the ISA received the news of Katherine Díaz's death. The young athlete died in her great passion. Rescue workers pulled Díaz ashore and, according to the Guardian, tried to revive the surfer on the shore.īut the emergency medical procedures came too late.
The 22-year-old was struck by lightning in the water. The surfer from El Salvador was training on Friday near her home in El Tunco in the south-west of the country on the rough Pacific coast when a sudden change in weather surprised the athlete. Until an incredible stroke of fate ruined everything. The ISA tweeted: 'Katherine embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, as a global ambassador of the sport. Katherine Diaz, a 22-year-old surfer from El Salvador who was preparing in hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, died last Friday after being struck by lightning, according to multiple reports. 'Katherine passed away instantly,' he told a news outlet in El Salvador. A 22-year-old Olympic surfing hopeful from El Salvador has died while training for an upcoming qualifying competition, the country’s National Institute for Sport (INDES) has confirmed.
#Surfer struck by lightning full
Katherine Díaz was also full of hope to be there in Japan. The surfers uncle Beto Diaz was with her and confirmed that his niece had been struck by lightning. The premiere should start in four months.įor the first time, medals in surfing will be awarded at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.