SUMMARY
- Olympian Judoka Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez passed away unexpectedly.
- The Judo Champion died just days after undergoing a breast enlargement surgery.
In a tragic incident, Judo champion Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez, who participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics, has passed away. The news of her death was initially reported by local media, and now it has been confirmed that the 34-year-old is no longer in this world.
It has been revealed that Espinosa had breast enlargement surgery on January 21, 2024, and it resulted in health complications for the Olympics athlete. As per the latest updates, the Judo artist reportedly suffered a heart attack, and it became the cause of her death.
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Announcing the tragic news of her death, Cuban Sports University confirmed that “La Mole” passed away this week. It is surely a huge loss for the entire industry. Moreover, Maricet’s death serves as a lesson that in certain cases, surgeries can have major consequences. And, it was evident in the female star’s case.
Tributes pour in for the late Olympian Judoka
As soon as the news of the former Olympian’s death got public, the entire world started paying tribute to her. The Manuel Fajardo Cuban Sports University, which is popular for producing Olympic stars athletes also shared an emotional post after the Judo Champion’s death. (Via: The Mirror)
They posted, “It is with great pain that the Cuban university sports community receives the news of the death of the outstanding Cuban judoka Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez.” In addition to such institutions, her admirers also took to social media platforms to express their condolences for the late athlete.
Maricet Espinosa Gonzalez’s career achievements
Even though Maricet Espinosa’s life was cut short by a heart attack, she was able to achieve a lot. In terms of her professional journey, the female athlete had a lot of achievements to showcase in her list of accomplishments.
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The 34-year-old was a double Pan American Judo champion, as she won the prestigious title in 2013 and 2014. By winning gold in two consecutive years, La Mole grabbed a lot of limelight in the industry. Such brilliance in her field made her way into the Olympics, as she competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Gonzalez represented Cuba at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil in the women’s 63kg category. In the first round of the competition, she was able to defeat Nepalese judoka Phupu Lhamu Khatri. But in the next round, she was defeated by Israel’s female superstar, Yarden Gerbi.
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After performing at the 2016 edition of the Olympics, Maricet Espinosa retired from the sport in 2017. Now, about seven years after her professional retirement, the Judo athlete has passed away unexpectedly. It is obviously emotional, especially for those who’ve followed her over the years, but nothing can be done. Thus, we pray to the Almighty to let her soul rest in peace.