Tragic news sweeping through the sports world of surfing as an Olympic hopeful dies in a lightning strike.
El Salvadoran surfer Katherine Diaz died on Friday, March 19, 2021 after being struck by lightning while training for an upcoming event in her homeland.
The 22-year-old Diaz competed in international surfing events and was training for a qualifier event to make her country's team for the upcoming Tokyo summer games, where surfing will be a medal sport for the first time.
The International Surfing Association tweeted a statement saying "it is with a heavy heart that the ISA has learned about the passing of El Salvador's Katherine Diaz."
She "embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, as a global ambassador of the sport."
"We send our heartfelt condolences to Katherine's family, the surfers of El Salvador, and to all those in the international surfing community whose lives she touched."
Diaz was training at El Tunco Beach, about ten miles south of capital San Salvador, when she was struck by lightning just after entering the water, local media reported.
