Katherine Díaz died while practicing on El Tunco beach when she went into the sea to surf
Salvadoran Katherine Díaz, of the Salvadoran surf team, died after a lightning strike during a practice day on the beach of El Tunco, in the center of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Surf Federation announced this Saturday.
Milton Flores, the Federation’s administrative manager, described the circumstances in which the 22-year-old athlete died on Friday as “something sudden and devastating”.
“When she went into the sea to surf, lightning suddenly struck and we saw her fall, she got immediate help”Flores told.
He added that when they arrived at a local health center, they were informed that he had already passed away.
“Katherine was a born leader of the Salvadoran team and surfing,” so “it was a tough emotional and sporting blow,” said the manager.
Bryan Pérez, pan-American bronze medalist in surfing, lamented Díaz’s death on his Instagram account. “We’re going to miss you,” he wrote.
“You will always be here with us,” he concluded.
The SUP surf athlete Josselyne Alabi also said some emotional words to him: “Keep enjoying the waves in the air.”
“It’s not easy for anyone on your team to leave, but to leave and this way it hurts and scars. We will feel you from the water and the soul,” added the athlete.
The President of the National Institute of Sports of El Salvador, Yamil Bukele, and the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdéz, published condolences and solidarity with Díaz’s family and friends
His funeral is expected to take place Sunday morning in the central department of La Libertad.
The young woman had been surfing since she was 9 years old. He competed in the Junior World Cup in 2012 and the World Open 2013 in Panama, and also in the WSL Qualify Series, in El Salvador in 2015 and 2016.
Her last official participation, according to medium El Grafico, was in the National Surfing Circuit in November 2020, where she took first place in the Women’s Open category.