"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. 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. "She, the friend, was thrown by the force of the lightning strike too, the board threw me back. 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. A Salvadoran woman who had hoped to compete in the Tokyo Olympics was struck and killed by lightning when the weather quickly turned. El Salvador surfer Katherine Diaz passed away at the age of 22 after being struck by lightning. "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 Surfer, Olympic hopeful dies after being struck by lightning. "'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 excelled at the international competition level, representing her country with pride at both the ISA World Surfing Games and ISA World Junior Surfing Championship,” said the association."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. “Katherine embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, a global ambassador of the sport.” Many social media users commented that she died doing what she loved The International Surfing Association (ISA) posted a heartfelt tribute to Diaz on Facebook on Sunday, which offered condolences to Diaz’s family and the surfing community at large after the news of the lightning strike was made public. KATHERINE DIAZ EMBODIED THE JOY OF SURFING The event doubles as a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympic Games where the sport will make its Olympic debut. Fresh details have emerged surrounding the death of 22-year-old surfing star Katherine Diaz, who was killed instantly when she was struck by lightning at a beach in El Salvador. Jose Diaz, the president of the federation, was the surfer’s father.ĭiaz was reportedly preparing for the upcoming ISA World Surf Games in El Salvador, which is due to take place from 29 May until 6 June. El Salvador is in mourning,” said the Federation. “A great athlete who has represented our country has left us. SURFER STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE TRAINING FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFIER Katherine Diaz, a 22-year-old surfer from El Salvador, died Friday after being struck by lightning while training for an Olympic-qualifying event. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene but were unable to revive her, according to the Olympic Channel. An electrical storm suddenly descended on the area and the surfer was struck while she was still in the water.
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Hernandez was a member of El Salvador's national surf team, and she had hopes of competing for her country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Katherine Diaz Hernandez, a 22-year-old surfer from El Salvador, passed away after being struck by lightning. The 22-year-old was practising at a beach near her home in El Tunco when the tragedy occurred.ĭiaz’s death was announced on social media by the Salvadoran Surf Federation. Olympic surfing hopeful killed by lightning strike. Katherine Diaz, one of El Salvador’s best surfers and an Olympic hopeful, died after being struck by lightning while training on Friday 19 March.