|
The 27-year-old short track skater, who won a
bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics, was admitted to hospital in
Perpignan, France last month after falling ill during a training
camp.
She was placed in intensive care and kept in an artificial coma
but despite undergoing surgery, her health continued to
deteriorate.
"What horrible news we've just received. Her loss will be felt
through the whole sporting world," said Dutch short track coach
Jeroen Otter.
"It is an enormous blow for a close-knit group. We've missed her
over the last two weeks but today's news is so definite and
surreal."
Van Ruijven won the 500 metres title at the world championships
in Sofia last year, and an Olympic bronze medal in the 3,000m
relay at 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
"We feel the pain for her family and the short track team," said
KNSB director Herman de Haan. "This is hard to comprehend. On
behalf of KNSB I want to wish Lara's friends and family strength
with dealing with this great loss."
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
