Tunisian Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez has died aged 17 after a training accident in waters off the capital Tunis on Sunday.
Guezguez was the youngest Tunisian at last year’s Tokyo Olympics and competed in the women’s 49er FX category with her twin sister Sarra, who is two minutes older. Debutants Eya and Sarra, both then aged 16, finished in 21st place in Tokyo.
A dinghy being sailed by Eya and Sarra capsized in windy weather, with their coach alongside them in a speedboat at the time.
The coach reportedly managed to help Sarra from the tangled rigging before then locating Eya, on whom he attempted CPR but in vain.
The young Olympian was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead after drowning.
The Tunisian Olympic Committee (CNOT) has described her death as “a tragedy in the sports scene” while the Tunisian Minister of Sports and Youth paid tribute to Guezguez and sent his condolences to her family.