Mourning in the world of sport, the beloved champion died at only 17 years old: tragic causes of death

The young athlete collapsed during the match. The hospital has not yet determined the exact cause of the athlete’s death.

International sport in mourning, a athlete very young he passed away during a match that was being played for a youth championship, to be precise the Asian Junior Championships. His family is undoubtedly mourning him, as well as the world of badminton who is mourning the passing of the promising young Chinese girl Zhang Zhijie.

The athlete, Zhang Zhijie, sadly passed away at his own age 17 years during a match of the Badminton Championships that were being played in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Chinese Badminton Federation expressed its condolences in the early hours of today, Monday 30 June.

The very young athlete was born on January 30, 2007, and it is truly impressive to talk about the end of an athlete, future star of his sport. Zhang suddenly collapsed, right during thelast game of the group stage of the tournament in the city on the island of Java, the most densely populated in Indonesia.

Despite timely attempts to rescue of the medical staff present on the sidelines and ready to intervene, Zhang died at 11.20pm local time in hospital. The Chinese Badminton Association expressed its “deep sorrow” and sent condolences to the young athlete’s family, also thanking the support received from various people in the industry.

Originally from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, Zhang joined the national youth team in 2023 and had recently collected numerous awards. The athlete had won the men’s singles and team titles in the Badminton Youth Championships in China in 2023 and 2024. A talent who, unfortunately, will not be able to find other competitions and other fields in which to express himself.

The tragedy has sparked widespread criticism of the effectiveness of themedical assistance during the event. Many professionals have raised concerns about the lack of automatic external defibrillators and on-site CPR techniques. In a joint statement, the Asian Badminton Federation and the Indonesian Badminton Association specified that Zhang Zhijie “was transported to hospital by the available emergency ambulance in less than two minutes”, but that “unfortunately it was not possible save the young man’s life.” Meanwhile, the hospital has not yet determined the precise cause of the athlete’s death.