Hernandez was a member of El Salvadors national surf team, and she had hopes of competing for her country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Katherine Diaz Hernandez, a 22-year-old surfer from El Salvador, passed away after being struck by lightning. Per the Olympic channel, Díaz's father José is president of the the Salvadoran Surf Federation, which wrote on social media “See you soon, great warrior. Olympic surfing hopeful killed by lightning strike. "She excelled at the (international) competition level, representing her country with pride at both the World Surfing Games and ISA World (Junior) Surfing Championship.Īs surfing is set to make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games this summer, Díaz had been preparing to qualify through the ISA World Surf Games to be held this upcoming May in El Salvador. The International Surfing Association wrote "Katherine embodied the joy and energy that make surfing so special and dear to us all. She was 22.ĭíaz had been practicing near her home at the Pacific coast beach of El Tunco when she was hit by lightning. Perfect rights and incredible moments in El Salvador with Katherine DiazVideo made by surfcityelsalvador with Phillipe Dermasan.Subscribe to our channel: ht.
Katherine Díaz, who held Olympic aspirations, died Friday after a tragic lightning strike in her native El Salvador. Watch Video: What the Olympics might look like