Death is always difficult. There are so many emotions that come into play and they all seem to hit you at once or in unexpected waves. The loss of life hits family and friends and in some cases reaching even more people than that. This is definitely the case for Katherine Diaz, an Olympic surfing hopeful whose life has been tragically cut short.
Diaz was practicing for the upcoming competition, the ISA World Surf Games in El Salvador when she was strike by lightning and couldn’t be saved. The weather took a strange and unexpected turn that day according to witnesses and this, unfortunately, hit Diaz and cost her her life. The rising surf star was expected to win at ISA and secure her spot for the Olympics in Tokoyo later this summer. Sadly, her career and Olympic aspirations were taken way too quickly, she was only 22 years old.
Nothing But Love For Katherine Diaz
ISA shared this statement about Diaz:
“It is with a heavy heart that the ISA has learned about the passing of El Salvador’s Katherine Diaz. Katherine embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all, as a global ambassador of the sport. She excelled at the international competition level, representing her country with pride at both the ISA World Surfing Games and ISA World Junior Surfing Championship. 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. We will never forget you.”
ISA Facebook Page
The tourism minister of El Salvador had this to say about Diaz as well:
“You will always be present in the surfing history of #ElSalvador. Your waves will always remember you in this paradise. Rest in peace Katherine Diaz.”
MorenaValdez
This is so heartbreaking, she had such a bright future. And surfing is finally being added to the Olympics for competition and it would have been so great to have seen Katherine win gold! Hopefully, this will inspire other young girls to try and do anything they set their minds to. We still need people like that today, especially for women. Rest In Peace Katherine, hopefully, the surf is great where you are now.
Click here to read about how an injured surfer tried to get help in New Zealand.