Katherine Diaz died while practicing on El Tunco beach, when she entered the sea to surf
Salvadoran Katherine Díaz, of the Salvadoran surf team, died after being struck by lightning during a day of practice on El Tunco beach, in the center of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Surfing Federation announced today.
Milton Flowers, the Federation’s administrative manager, described the circumstances in which the 22-year-old athlete died on Friday as “something sudden and fulminating”.
“When she made her way into the sea to surf, suddenly the lightning struck and we saw her fall, she was given immediate assistance.”, Reported Flowers.
He added that when they arrived at a local health center they were given the news that he had already died.
“Katherine was a born leader of the Salvadoran team and surfing,” so “it has been an emotional and sporting hard blow,” the manager stressed.
Bryan Perez, a Pan American bronze medalist in surfing, mourned Diaz’s death on his Instagram account. “We’re going to miss you,” he wrote.
“You will always be here with us,” he concluded.
SUP surf athlete Josselyne Alabi also dedicated some emotional words to him: “Keep enjoying the waves in the sky.”
“It’s not easy for someone on your team to leave, but for them to leave and in this way, it hurts and marks. We will feel you from the water and the soul,” the athlete added.
The President of the National Sports Institute of El Salvador, Yamil Bukele, and the Minister of Tourism, Bruna Valdéz, published messages of condolence and solidarity with Diaz’s family and friends.
His burial is expected on Sunday morning at the Central Department of Liberty..
The young woman has been surfing since she was 9 years old. He participated in the Junior World Championships in 2012 and the 2013 Open World Championships in Panama, and also in the WSL Qualify Series, in El Salvador in 2015 and 2016.
Her last official participation, according to the medium El Gràfic, was in the National Surf Circuit in November 2020, in which she won first place in the Women’s Open category.