Ecuadorian surf star found dead in hotel

Israel Barona, currently 34, hoped to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics

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Sport
Surfing
2 mins ago
BY Minuto News

Israel Barona, surf star in Ecuador and candidate to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, died at the age of 34 in El Salvador.

The National Civil Police of El Salvador (PNC) reported that Joshua Israel Barona suffered convulsions in a hotel in El Zonte (La Libertad) and was immediately taken to a hospital, where they were able to certify the athlete’s death.

The police ruled out the possibility that it was a homicide or that Israel Barona’s death had involved third parties. The daily Expreso reports that Israel Barona suffered a heart attack after dinner.

We report the death of Ecuadorian surfer Joshua Israel Barona, who suffered seizures while he was in a hotel in El Zonte, La Libertad. He was transferred to an assistance center, but he died. Homicide has been ruled out.

— PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) https://twitter.com/PNCSV/status/1719435244166689079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“What we know is that it was not an accident while training or surfing; it all happened after having dinner with his wife Marie [surfista canadiana] and the little son [Tiago]. They went to bed and apparently he started to have difficulty breathing, then the convulsions came. We don’t know exactly what the problem was or the exact cause of death, but he was with his wife”, explained Javier Aguirre, former president of the Ecuadorian Surfing Federation and current vice-president of the Pan-American Surfing Organization.

Javier Aguirre said that Israel Barona was assisted by his wife, but as he was far away (about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital) “they couldn’t do anything”.

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