MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. High diving champ Leyla Salyamova of Russia was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 23, Russian Diving Federation President Stanislav Druzhinin told TASS on Friday.
"Our athlete Leyla Salyamova was killed in a traffic accident," Druzhinin said. "This is shocking news for us," he emphasized.
"She was 23 and I cannot even imagine what sorrow her parents and relatives feel right now. I express my condolences to all of them," he continued.
"On behalf of the federation and myself, I must say that we will provide all the necessary assistance, including the funeral arrangements. We are currently in contact with her relatives on this matter," Druzhinin added.
First Vice-President of the Russian Diving Federation Dmitry Sautin also voiced his condolences over the tragic death of Salyamova, saying she was the country’s only female representative in global high diving competitions.
"She was a fearless girl, unique in Russia," Sautin, a two-time Olympic champion in the high dive, told TASS. "She was an example for everyone. She possessed unbelievable willpower, allowing her to do jumps from 20-meter heights. It was not only a single [20-meter] dive as she managed to compile a program of four world-class jumps."
"She was able to compete with the strongest divers in the world and it is impossible to say now who else in our country can reach that level," Sautin continued.
"We had grand plans, but fate had other plans and no one expected that this year would unfurl this way. On behalf of the federation and me personally, we extend our condolences to the family and friends," he added.
The fatal traffic accident with Salyamova occurred in the afternoon of January 12 on the Sortavala highway in Russia’s northwestern Republic of Karelia. According to a report from local traffic police officers, a Mitsubishi Lancer, which Salyamova was riding in, collided with a Volkswagen Tiguan. Two people in the Mitsubishi Lancer were killed in the collision, while the driver and a female passenger in the other car suffered injuries and were hospitalized.
The local prosecutor’s office is supervising the investigation to establish the cause of the tragic accident.
A spokesman for the local emergency services later announced that the driver of the Mitsubishi Lancer lost control of the vehicle on the highway due to poor weather conditions and after swerving into the oncoming lane, collided head-on with the Volkswagen Tiguan.
"The Mitsubishi driver did not take into account weather and road conditions, did not drive at a safe speed and lost control of the vehicle upon turning on the highway. The car skidded into the oncoming lane and collided with the Volkswagen," the spokesman said.
Salyamova was the 2021 winner of the Russian High Diving Championship and the 2015 silver medal winner of the national championship in the synchronized high dive. She was also the first female Russian diver to qualify for the world championship in the high dive and to participate in the Cliff Diving World Series.