Taekwondo champion Isabel Sava, 19, died suddenly in her sleep after suffering a heart attack, her family announced.
A fundraising page launched on behalf of the family said that Sava died “completely unexpectedly,” after emergency teams tried to revive her but were unable to save her.
Sava was preparing to start her second year of studying law at Queen Mary University of London, and was working to achieve her dream of becoming a commercial lawyer.
But sports were an essential part of her life as well. She devoted more than 10 years to Taekwondo, and reached the level of second-degree black belt after years of training, discipline, and perseverance.
In 2022, Sava participated in the World Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands, and won a silver medal in the fighting competitions.
Her academy, “Trenic TKD,” announced the news of her death in an emotional statement, in which she said that Isabelle began her journey in taekwondo in 2015, and advanced quickly thanks to her talent and passion, before obtaining her first-degree black belt in 2019, then the second degree in 2021.
The academy added that Sava was not only a champion on the mat, but was a beloved person in training and education and among her colleagues, stressing that she will be greatly missed within the Taekwondo community.
More than £13,900 had been raised through the donations page as of Monday morning, out of a target of £16,000, to contribute to funeral and memorial costs and the unexpected expenses the family faces after a death.
A cardiac arrest is a medical emergency in which the heart suddenly stops beating, preventing blood from reaching the brain and vital organs. Its signs include sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, unresponsiveness, and stopping breathing or breathing abnormally.
Isabel Sava passed away at an age when she was preparing to build two futures together: a legal future that she dreamed of, and a sporting career in which she left an early and unforgettable impact.
