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List of athletics competitors who died during their careers

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Pre's Rock, a memorial to Steve Prefontaine who died after finishing 4th in the 1972 Olympic 5000 m
Memorial to Bronisław Malinowski, who died one year after winning an Olympic gold medal
Plaque commemorating Ryan Shay, who died while running the 2008 United States Olympic trials marathon

A number of athletics competitors have died during their careers. Sometimes, the deaths came during competition or practice, while other times deaths occurred due to road accidents or other non-sports-related reasons.

The list does not include athletes who died during World War I or during World War II, when international athletics competitions were largely put on pause.

List

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The following is an incomplete list of athletics competitors who died or disappeared during their professional or amateur careers.

Date Image Name Nationality Age Events Cause
15 Jul 1912 Francisco Lázaro  Portugal 24 Marathon Collapsed during the 1912 Olympic marathon due to dehydration and high body temperature.[1]
18 Aug 1931 Eric Krenz  United States 25 Discus throw Drowning.[2]
15 Apr 1933 George Saling  United States 23 110 metres hurdles Car crash.[3]
30 Jun 1946 Donato Pavesi  Italy 57 10 kilometres walk Died while racewalking during a race held in his honor.[4]
15 Sep 1950 Jaakko Jouppila  Finland 27 Shot put Murder-suicide of his wife.[5]
11 Nov 1950 Les McKeand  Australia 26 Triple jump, javelin throw Car crash.[6]
26 Aug 1951 Jakob Jutz  Switzerland 35-36 Marathon Suffered heart failure while running the 1951 Swiss Marathon Championships.[7]
2 Aug 1960 Bob Gutowski  United States 25 Pole vault Car accident.[8]
11 Dec 1962 Jorma Valkama  Finland 34 Long jump Car crash.[9]
9 Jan 1968 Kōkichi Tsuburaya  Japan 27 Marathon Suicide.[10]
23 Nov 1968 Aurelio Janet  Cuba 23 Javelin throw Car crash.[11]
22 Dec 1969 Rolf Hoppe  Chile 24 Javelin throw Car accident.[12]
8 Dec 1971 A. K. M. Miraj Uddin  Bangladesh 23 Pole vault, long jump, 110 metres hurdles Disappearance after capture by Pakistani army.[13]
17 Feb 1973 Ezra Burnham  Barbados 25 400 metres Car accident.[14]
30 May 1975 Steve Prefontaine  United States 24 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, mile Car accident.[15]
29 Dec 1976 Ivo Van Damme  Belgium 24 800 metres, 1500 metres Car accident.[16]
7 Jun 1977 Jim Buchanan  Canada 21 Long jump Car accident.[17]
26 Aug 1977 Tadeusz Zieliński  Poland 31 3000 metres steeplechase Car accident.[18]
Jul 1981 Dele Udo  Nigeria 24 400 metres Killed by a Nigerian police officer following an argument.[19]
27 Sep 1981 Bronisław Malinowski  Poland 30 3000 metres steeplechase Car accident.[20]
12 Nov 1984 Christopher Brathwaite  Trinidad and Tobago 36 100 metres, 200 metres Murdered by a sniper.[21]
29 May 1990 Mohamed Shah Alam  Bangladesh 27 100 metres, 200 metres Motorcycle accident.[22]
23 Aug 1990 Yutaka Kanai  Japan 30 10,000 metres Car crash.[23]
Tomoyuki Taniguchi [ja]  Japan 29 Marathon
1 Sep 1992 Desta Asgedom  Ethiopia 20 1500 metres, 800 metres Struck by a pickup truck, ruled a suicide.[24]
6 Apr 1993 Miguel Ángel Gómez  Spain 24 200 metres Motorcycle accident.[25]
29 Mar 1994 Paul Spangler  United States 95 1500 metres to Marathon Masters world record holder died on his daily 7 mile training run[26]
13 Aug 1994 Simon Robert Naali  Tanzania 28 Marathon Died from hit-and-run injuries.[27]
1 Oct 1994 Oluyemi Kayode  Nigeria 26 200 metres Car crash.[28]
29 Jul 1996 Georgi Dakov  Bulgaria 28 High jump Car accident.[29]
8 Aug 1998 Walter Merlo  Italy 33 Long-distance running Fell from the Corno Stella mountain.[30]
7 Sep 2000 Hyginus Anugo  Nigeria 22 400 metres Car crash.[31]
31 Mar 2001 Diego García  Spain 39 Marathon Sudden cardiac death during a training run.[32]
4 Aug 2003 Pål Arne Fagernes  Norway 29 Javelin throw Car accident.[33]
25 Dec 2004 Ian Syster  South Africa 28 Marathon Drowning after car accident.[34]
14 Aug 2004 Robert Howard  United States 28 Triple jump Murder-suicide of his wife.[35]
27 May 2005 Piotr Gładki  Poland 33 Marathon Car accident.[36]
5 Jun 2005 Matic Šušteršič  Slovenia 25 60 metres, 100 metres Car accident along with two other Slovenian athletes, Patrik Cvetan (23) and Nejc Lipnik (17).[37]
9 Sep 2006 Émilie Mondor  Canada 25 5000 metres Car crash.[38]
21 Jan 2007 Maria Cioncan  Romania 29 1500 metres Car accident.[39]
3 Nov 2007 Ryan Shay  United States 28 Marathon Collapsed during the U.S. marathon trials for the 2008 Olympics, died due to heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.[40]
16 Jun 2008 Tom Compernolle  Belgium 32 5000 metres Car accident.[41]
29 Aug 2010 Dejene Berhanu  Ethiopia 29 5000 metres Suicide.[42]
11 Sep 2010 Taavi Peetre  Estonia 27 Shot put, discus throw Boat accident.[43]
15 May 2011 Samuel Wanjiru  Kenya 24 Marathon Fall from balcony.[44]
26 Jun 2012 Daniel Batman  Australia 31 200 metres, 400 metres Car crash.[45]
5 Dec 2012 Yves Niaré  France 35 Shot put Car crash.[46]
19 Jan 2013 Abderrahim Goumri  Morocco 36 Marathon Car crash; died one year into his doping ban.[47]
10 Jul 2014 Peter Mutuku  Kenya 20 3000 metres steeplechase Car crash.[48]
28 Jul 2014 Torrin Lawrence  United States 25 400 metres Car crash.[49]
Oct 2015 Yuliya Balykina  Belarus 31 100 metres Murdered by boyfriend.[50]
28 Aug 2017 David Torrence  Peru 31 1500 metres, 5000 metres Drowning.[51]
8 Aug 2018 Nicholas Bett  Kenya 28 400 metres hurdles Car accident.[52]
19 Aug 2019 Margarita Plavunova  Russia 25 100 metres hurdles, 400 metres hurdles Acute heart failure while jogging.[53]
7 Jan 2020 Kennedy Njiru  Kenya 32-33 3000 metres steeplechase Car accident.[54]
26 Feb 2020 Braian Toledo  Argentina 26 Javelin throw Motorcycle crash.[55]
24 Sep 2020 Ondřej Hodboď [cs]  Czech Republic 19 3000 metres steeplechase Suicide.[56]
8 Nov 2020 Clevonte Lodge-Bean  Bermuda 18 400 metres Car crash.[57]
22 May 2021 Liang Jing  China 31 Ultramarathon Gansu ultramarathon disaster.[58]
Huang Guanjun  China 33-34
26 Jun 2021 Abdalelah Haroun  Qatar 24 400 metres Car accident.[59]
9 Aug 2021 Cameron Burrell  United States 26 100 metres, long jump Suicide.[60]
13 Oct 2021 Agnes Tirop  Kenya 25 10,000 metres, cross country Stabbing.[61]
Sep 2021 Jason Carty  Great Britain 51 60 metres, 100 metres Lung cancer.[62]
22 Oct 2021 Álex Quiñónez  Ecuador 32 200 metres, 100 metres Murdered outside a shopping centre.[63]
10 Jan 2022 Deon Lendore  Trinidad and Tobago 29 400 metres Car crash.[64]
16 Apr 2022 Damaris Muthee  Bahrain 28 5000 metres, cross country Murdered.[65]
24 Apr 2022 Kaushalya Madushani  Sri Lanka 26 400 metres hurdles Suicide.[66]
23 Jan 2023 Edrissa Marong  Gambia 27 800 metres Unspecified illness.[67]
23 Apr 2023 Tori Bowie  United States 32 100 metres, long jump Complications of childbirth.[68]
23 Apr 2023 Samuel Kiplimo Kosgei  Kenya 37 Marathon Road accident.[69]
11 Feb 2024 Kelvin Kiptum  Kenya 24 Marathon Car accident.[70]
5 September 2024 Rebecca Cheptegei  Uganda 33 Marathon Murdered.[71]

Former athletics competitors who died during other sporting careers

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See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Francisco Lázaro at Olympedia
  2. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  3. ^ "SALING, HURDLER, DIES AFTER CRASH; Athlete Receives Fatal Hurts as Car Strikes Stalled Truck on Road Near Troy, Mo. AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION Iowan Was the Joint Holder of the World Record of 14.4 Seconds for 110 Meters". The New York Times. 16 April 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ^ Donato Pavesi at Olympedia
  5. ^ Kanerva, Juha (23 December 2023). "Jaakko, 27, ampui 24-vuotiaan vaimonsa ja itsensä keskellä kaupunkia – syy takavuosien hirmuteolle paljastui taskusta löytyneistä kirjeistä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Les McKeand: Olympic Veterinarian". Scone Vet Dynasty. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  7. ^ "In memoriam Jakob Jutz" (in German).
  8. ^ "Bob Gutowski, Track Star, Killed in Auto Crash; He Held the World's Record for the Pole Vault". New York Times. 3 August 1960.
  9. ^ "Urheilutähti Jorma Valkaman taru päättyi saattomatkalla pikkujouluissa – "Kun isä kuoli, äiti ei sanonut hänestä pahaa sanaa"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 4 September 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  10. ^ Belson, Ken (18 July 2021). "Elegy for a Heartbroken Medalist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Javelin Champ Dies In Mishap". The Times-News. 18 November 1968. p. 12. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Rolf Hoppe Is Killed". The Times Leader. 25 December 1969. p. 22. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  13. ^ Nannu, Saifuddin Ahmed (27 December 2011). "বিস্মৃতির অতলে মানিকগঞ্জের শহীদ মিরাজ". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Driver Dies In Accident". The News and Observer. 18 February 1973. p. 30. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  15. ^ "A FINAL DRIVE TO THE FINISH". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  16. ^ Ivo Van Damme at Olympedia
  17. ^ "Ottawa Olympian dies in auto accident". The Ottawa Journal. 9 June 1977. p. 22. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Wydarzenia". Kronika Miasta Poznania [pl] (in Polish). Vol. 2, no. 1978. p. 124.
  19. ^ "Former Missouri track star Dele Udo, a three-time NCAA... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  20. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Death on the Highway". The New York Times. 29 September 1981. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Olympic runner killed by sniper remembered - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  22. ^ "A sprint cut short". The Daily Star. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2024. Twice fastest man of South Asia Shah Alam lost his life in a motorbike accident on the Kushtia highway in 1989 ...
  23. ^ "Japan's top long-distance runners killed in car accident - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  24. ^ Lee, Kirby (11 September 1992). "Tragic Course : Desta Asgedom, a Top Running Prospect From Ethiopia, Is Hit and Killed by a Pickup Truck in Pico Rivera; Friends Can't Believe It Was Suicide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Miguel Angel Gómez Campuzano". www.mayrena.com. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  26. ^ Thomas Jr., Robert McG. (14 April 1994). "Dr. Paul E. Spangler, 95, Dies; Took Up Fitness Running at 67". The New York Times; Obituaries. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  27. ^ "Injuries prove fatal to marathoner Naali". The Honolulu Advertiser. 16 August 1994. p. 23. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Sad tale of 76-yr-old mother of late Nigerian hero abandoned to fate". The Nation. Nigeria. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  29. ^ Thomsen, Ian; Tribune, International Herald (30 August 1996). "Athletics : Bulgaria'a High-Jump Star Overcomes Adversity and the Odds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Walter Merlo cade e muore in montagna" (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Nigerian Runner Killed in Accident". American Broadcasting Company. ABC News. 8 September 2000.
  32. ^ "In Memoriam Diego Garcia | NEWS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Tragic death for Norwegian Javelin record holder | NEWS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Marathon runner Ian Syster dies in car accident | NEWS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Ex-Olympian kills wife, self". ESPN.com. 16 August 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  36. ^ "Maratończyk z Gdańska Piotr Gładki nie żyje". Sport.pl (in Polish). 29 May 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  37. ^ "Črn dan za slovensko atletiko | 24ur.com". www.24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Olympian Emilie Mondor dies". Canadian Broadcasting Company. 10 September 2006.
  39. ^ "Olympic medalist runner Cioncan dies in car accident". ESPN.com. 21 January 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  40. ^ Shipley, Amy (4 November 2007). "Death Casts a Pall Over Trials". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Belgian 5000m runner Compernolle dies in car accident | NEWS | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  42. ^ "ETHIOPIAN RUNNER BERHANU TOOK HIS OWN LIFE". www.letsrun.com. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Kuulitõukaja Taavi Peetre uppus Tamula järve". Sport (in Estonian). 11 September 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Kenya Olympic marathon star Sammy Wanjiru dies in fall". BBC News. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  45. ^ Williams, Jacqueline (26 June 2012). "Athlete Batman killed in car rollover". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  46. ^ "French shot putter Niare dies in road crash". ESPN.com. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Abderrahim Goumri nie żyje". Bieganie.pl (in Polish). 20 January 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  48. ^ "Youth Olympic steeplechase champion Peter Mutuku dies| News". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  49. ^ "U.S. 400m runner Torrin Lawrence dies in car accident". NBC Sports. 28 July 2014.
  50. ^ Verschueren, Gianni. "Yulia Balykina, Former Olympic Sprinter, Found Dead at Age 31". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  51. ^ sport, Guardian (29 August 2017). "David Torrence, Olympic 5,000m finalist, found dead at age of 31". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  52. ^ "Shock, grief as ex-World champ Nicholas Bett dies in tragic accident". Nation. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  53. ^ "Russian athlete and model Margarita Plavunova dies while training". New York Post. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  54. ^ "Tributes pour in for fallen Kenyan steeplechase runner". Nation. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  55. ^ "Javelin thrower Braian Toledo killed in bike accident 5 months before his 3rd Olympic appearance". India Today. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  56. ^ Jilemnický, Miroslav S. (26 September 2020). "Smutná zpráva! Nadějný atlet spáchal v 19 letech sebevraždu". Deník.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  57. ^ "Hundreds attend funeral for Bermudian sprinter Lodge-Bean | Loop Caribbean News". Loop News. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  58. ^ "China marathon: Fans mourn top runners killed in deadly race". BBC News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  59. ^ "Qatari Sprinter Abdalelah Haroun, 400m World Bronze Medalist, Dies in Car Crash". News18. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  60. ^ Duarte, Joseph (13 August 2021). "UH track star Cameron Burrell's death ruled a suicide". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  61. ^ Okeowo, Alexis (10 April 2023). "Why Were Two Female Running Champions Killed in Kenya?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  62. ^ "Jason Carty: 1969-2021". England Athletics. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  63. ^ "Alex Quiñónez: Ecuador sprinter shot dead". 23 October 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  64. ^ "Deon Lendore: Trinidad and Tobago Olympic relay medallist dies in car crash at age 29". BBC Sport. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  65. ^ "Damaris Muthee Mutua: Kenya police launch manhunt after athlete killed". 20 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  66. ^ "Sri Lankan athlete Kaushalya Madushani dies by suicide". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  67. ^ "LONG DISTANCE RUNNER EDRISSA MARONG DIES – The Standard Newspaper | Gambia". 25 January 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  68. ^ "Olympic sprint champion Tori Bowie dies at 32". NBC Sports. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  69. ^ "Tuwei, Gebrselassie lead Kenyans in mourning the late Kosgei". The Star. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  70. ^ "Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum has died in a car crash". ABC News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  71. ^ "Uganda's Olympian Cheptegei dies after being set on fire by boyfriend". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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