A young Russian swimmer has died after falling from a balcony at a sports academy training camp, the Associated Press reports.
You can find the story on Yahoo News by following this link. 15-year-old Maxim Maurer was in Bulgaria at a training camp for swimmers from a Russian sports academy when he fell from a balcony, per members of the Russian news media. Maurer died after suffering severe injuries in the fall.
Just this past spring, Maurer had won a bronze medal at the Russian Youth Championship in Volgograd. Maurer took third in the 100 back (57.13) and just missed another medal with a fourth-place finish in the 200 back (2:06.85).
Maurer fell from the balcony earlier this week, and a spokeswoman for the Russian Swimming Federation said that “everyone at the federation is shocked.”
Maurer hailed from St. Petersburg and was part of a strong Russian youth swimming movement that has been dominant at all of this summer’s major junior meets: the European Games, the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival and the Junior World Championships, among others.
It’s the second time in a week the aquatic community of Russia has had to deal with the traumatic loss of a young athlete. On Sunday, Water Polo National Teamer Vladislav Timakov died of a heart attack during practice.
My prayers go out to the family. Devastating.
No relation. But I too have a 15 year old son who is a backstroker.
Thanks for condolences.
So very sad.