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.
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 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.
The following is an incomplete list of athletics competitors who died or disappeared during their professional or amateur careers.
More information Date, Image ...
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]
Close
"Wydarzenia". Kronika Miasta Poznania [ pl ] 2, no. 1978. p. 124. "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 ... 
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