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Olympians Who Died in Competition or Training (82)

Athlete Nation(s) Sport(s) Role(s) Era Notes
Armando Albano BRA BKB Olympics 1936 Died after collapsing at half time of a basketball match between Botafogo Football Club and Clube de Regatas Botafogo
Agustín Alcántara MEX CRD/CTR Olympics 1968—1972 Died during the Tour of Cuba.
Carlos Barreto VEN BOX Olympics 1996 Died three days after he lost against José Luis Valbuena by technical KO.
Heini Bierling GER
FRG		 ALP Olympics 1952 Died after a severe training accident for the Munich Ski Championships. He stayed paraplegic and died only three weeks later.
Viktor Blinov RUS
URS		 IHO Olympics 1968 Died of a heart attack during practice.
Vigor Bovolenta ITA VVO Olympics 1996—2008 Died during a volleyball match.
Charles Brécy FRA CTR Non-Medal 1900 Died during an attempt at the world motor-paced hour record, when the fork broke on the motorcycle pacing him and he crashed, dying from the injuries he sustained.
Jacinto Brito MEX CRD/CTR Olympics 1960 Died after a crash during a training session at the Olympic velodrome.
Bernhard Britz SWE CRD Olympics 1932 Died after being hit by a car during a cycling race.
Alexandru Budișteanu ROU BOB Olympics 1936 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Felix Bwalya ZAM BOX Olympics 1992 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
Harry Campbell USA BOX Olympics 1960 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
Reto Capadrutt SUI BOB Olympics 1932—1936 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Allan Carlsson SWE CRD Olympics 1952 During the 1953 Nordic Championships, Carlsson was hit by a truck and was paralyzed. He died two weeks later in Sofiahemmet Hospital in Stockholm.
Fabio Casartelli ITA CRD Olympics 1992 Died from a crash during a descent on the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France.
Régine Cavagnoud FRA ALP Olympics 1992—1998 After colliding with another a German coach during a training run in Austria, she sustained heavy brain damage, and died later at an Innsbruck hospital.
Andrea Clemente ITA BOB Olympics 1968 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Ilio Colli ITA ALP Olympics 1952 Died in a downhill at Madesimo when he crashed into a tree at high speed, dying shortly thereafter.
Paul Dangla FRA CTR Non-Medal 1900 Died after a crash on the track.
Fabrizio De Chiara ITA BOX Olympics 1992 Died two days after he lost against Vincenzo Imperata by technical KO.
Felix Endrich SUI BOB Olympics / Other 1948—1952 Killed in a bobsleigh accident.
David Foster IRL EVE Olympics 1984—1996 Killed whilst competing.
Jean-Jacques Fussien FRA CTR Olympics 1972 Died while training.
Isaac Gálvez ESP CTR Olympics 2000 Died of injuries sustained in an accident during competition.
Diego García ESP ATH Olympics 1992—1996 Died by the sudden cardiac death during a training run. At the point of death close to the Sanctuary of Loyola, a statue was erected in his honor. Also the race between his birthplace and his home - a half marathon - Azkoitia-Azpeitia was renamed to Diego Garcia Memorial.
Jaime García ESP EJP Olympics 1948—1952 Died of fall from horse.
Hernán Gaviria COL FBL Olympics 1992 Died after being hit by lightning along with a teammate during a practice session.
Sergey Grinkov RUS
URS		 FSK Olympics 1988—1994 Died from a heart attack while training.
Eya Guezguez TUN SAL Olympics 2020 Died when the boat she was sailing with her sister overturned.
Willy Hahnemann AUT FBL Olympics 1948 Died during a tennis match in 1991.
Moritz Heidegger LIE BOB Olympics 1956 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Kalle Heikkinen FIN CCS Olympics 1936 Died after falling into a sewer while jogging at night.
Max Houben BEL ATH/BOB Olympics / Other 1920—1948 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Flo Hyman USA VVO Olympics 1984 Died during a volleyball match.
Albin Jakopič SLO
YUG		 NCB/SJP Olympics 1936 Collapsed suddenly after performing a 25 metre ski jump.
Jonatan Johansson SWE SBD Olympics 2006 In practice for a competition in Lake Placid (USA), he badly fell in a jump and immediately died of his injuries.
Stone Johnson USA ATH Olympics 1960 Broke his neck in a pre-season football game and died of the injuries 10 days later.
Graeme Jose AUS CRD Olympics 1972 Died several days after a fall in the Tour d'Autriche.
Jakob Jutz SUI ATH Olympics 1948 Died during the Swiss marathon championships.
Carl Käser GER CTR Non-Medal 1900 Killed in an accident during a race in Plauen.
Henri Kellen LUX CRD Olympics 1948 Kellen died during a cycling race in Switzerland when he suffered heat stroke.
Andreas Kiligkaridis GRE CSP Olympics 2000—2008 Died at the age of 37 while at a competition in Poland after falling into a coma brought on by leukaemia.
Kim Hyeong-Chil KOR EVE Olympics 1988 Died from fall during 3-day event at 2006 Asian Games.
Andrey Kivilyov KAZ CRD Olympics 1996—2000 Died one day after a crash following a collision with two other riders during the second stage of Paris–Nice.
György Kolonics HUN CSP Olympics 1992—2004 Died of cardiac arrest while training.
Emanuel Kudella BOH CTR Non-Medal 1900 Died riding a tandem in Berlin when it crashed off the track.
Bert Lowe NZL BOX Olympics 1932 Died of injuries sustained in a professional boxing match.
Gino Mäder SUI CRD Olympics 2020 Died after a high-speed crash on the fifth stage of the 2023 Tour de Suisse.
Ulrike Maier AUT ALP Olympics 1988—1992 During a World Cup downhill race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Maier crashed and broke her neck, dying of her injuries shortly after being taken to hospital in nearby Murnau, Germany.
Philippe Massu FRA SAL Olympics 1984 Died during the Course des Iles in the Bay of Biscay.
Russell Mockridge AUS CRD/CTR Olympics 1948—1952 Died after being hit by a bus during the 1958 Tour of Gippsland.
Davey Moore USA BOX Olympics 1952 Died from injuries sustained in bout against Sugar Ramos in 1963, dying several days later after lapsing into a coma in the locker room.
Néstor Mora COL CRD Olympics 1984 Killed together with the non-Olympians Hernán Patiño and Augusto Triana (all team Postobón) when the group was hit by a truck while training on a highway.
Jimmy Morgan USA BOB Olympics 1976 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Samuel Okwaraji NGR FBL Olympics 1988 Collapsed ten minutes from the end of a World Cup Qualifier against Angola in Lagos and died from congestive heart failure.
Stanisław Paczka POL LUG Olympics 1968 Died during the 1969 luge World Championships.
Donato Pavesi ITA ATH Olympics 1920—1924 Died in 1946 during a veteran competition.
Charles Peguilhan FRA BOX Olympics 1924 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
Charles Peguilhan FRA BOX Olympics 1924 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
David Poisson FRA ALP Olympics 2010—2014 Died in a preseason trainings run when crashing through two safety nets and hitting a tree.
Shamo Quaye GHA FBL Olympics 1992 Died in a training match.
Jean-Baptiste Rampignon FRA BOX Olympics 1920 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
Jan Remie NED BOX Olympics 1948 Died of cerebral hemorrhage sustained in a bout against Jan Nicolaas (1936 Olympian).
Emil Richli SUI CTR Olympics 1924 Died of injuries sustained in a fall during a track race.
Al Robinson USA BOX Olympics 1968 Died of injuries sustained in a sparring session.
Ed Sanders USA BOX Olympics 1952 Died of injuries sustained in a boxing match.
Warren Scarfe AUS CRD/CTR Olympics 1956—1960 Fell while training and died from a head injury before making it to the hospital.
Cinto Sertorelli ITA ALP Olympics 1936 Died of injuries sustained in a ski accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Andrew Simpson GBR SAL Olympics 2008—2012 Died in San Francisco Bay while training for the America's Cup.
Vladimir Smirnov URS
UKR		 FEN Olympics 1980 Died following a fencing accident at the World Championships when his opponent's weapon broke, pierced his mask and went into his brain.
Darren Smith AUS CRD Olympics 1992 Hit by a truck while training.
Giuseppe Soravia ITA BOB Olympics 1980 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Zinaida Stahurskaya BLR
EUN		 CRD Olympics 1992—2004 Died in 2009 after being struck by a car while training.
Burry Stander RSA MTB Olympics 2008—2012 Died after being hit by a taxibus while on training.
Bjørn Stenersen NOR CRD Olympics 1992 Died during his very last pro race when he crashed and went off the road. Although he was immediately reanimated, his life could not have been saved. In a few months later he should have started a job as managing director of a racing team.
Asle Strand NOR LUG Olympics 1976—1984 Died after a luge accident during a film recording session in the Lyngen Alps in Troms, Northern Norway. Died in hospital after some days on a respirator.
Leo Tynkkynen FIN SSK Olympics 1956—1960 Tynkkynen drowned in 1971 when he broke through week ice while training.
Sepp Walcher AUT ALP Olympics 1976 Killed in a skiing competition.
Robert Wangila KEN BOX Olympics 1988 Died of injuries sustained in a professional boxing match.
Mel Zajac CAN SWM Olympics 1976 Died in a canoeing accident.
Sergio Zardini ITA BOB Olympics 1964 Died in a bobsleigh accident.
Albert Zürner GER DIV Olympics / 1906 1906—1912 Died after a training accident.