Isabelle Sava, taekwondo world medalist, dies at 19

Isabelle Sava, a 19-year-old taekwondo athlete of Romanian origin, has died following a sudden cardiac arrest while sleeping. Sava was a silver medalist at the 2022 Taekwondo World Championships held in the Netherlands and held a second-degree black belt.

A law student at Queen Mary University of London, Sava was pursuing a career in commercial law. Despite emergency efforts from ambulance crews and a medical helicopter to resuscitate her, she was pronounced dead on August 17.

Her coach, Daniel Gorbunov, expressed shock at the event, noting that she had no known medical conditions and had passed all required medical examinations prior to recent competitions. Her family, Laura and Ovi Sava, has lost their only child. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by family friends to support the parents during this time.