Karate champion dies at 18 before graduating

Karate athlete Sarah Louise Held died at the age of 18 following a road accident in the city of Lacerdópolis (SC). The collision destroyed the vehicle and the young woman was found dead by firefighters in the early hours of Friday the 12th.

The accident was a rollover. Sarah was in the passenger seat. A man in his twenties was driving the vehicle. He was conscious when firefighters arrived and was taken to Joaçaba Hospital, also west of Santa Catarina, suffering from back and facial pain.

Sarah Louise was Pan-American karate champion in the under-17 category, black belt. She had graduated from high school and was going to celebrate her graduation with a party on Saturday the 13th, the day before she died. The celebration was postponed.

Colégio Unoesc Joaçaba, where she studied, mourned Sarah’s death in a note of condolence. “Sarah was a dedicated, loving student and much loved by all who had the joy of living with her. We regret her loss and sympathize with her family at this time,” the statement said.

The municipality of Ouro (SC) also deplored the death of the young woman. “The Municipal Administration of Ouro expresses, with deep regret, its most sincere condolences to the family of Sarah Louise Held, following her death which occurred in the early hours of this Friday the 12th. We express our solidarity and support to her mother, Professor Fabiana Karvaski, and to her sister, Professor Letícia Mathias, both members of the municipal educational network of Ouro, as well as to all the family and friends who mourn this loss irreparable.

May God grant comfort and strength to everyone in this moment of pain. »