Q COSTA RICA NEWS – Within 100 metres of crossing the finish line in the 10 kilometre Lindora Run, in Santa Ana Sunday morning, Saprissa and national team soccer player Grabriel Badilla died after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Paramedics declared the 32-year-old athlete dead at 7:15am.
Also taking part in the run was journalist Marienela Cordero who said on her Facebook page that just before arriving at the finish line she complained of her performance and the lousy weather. However, before reaching the finish line she realized what had just happened. “How! Who? Why? I put my hands on
my head. The deceased could be one of my many friends running…my heart shuddered even more when I learned it was Gabriel Badilla,” said Cordero.
Maureen Sandí, also participating in the run, was at Badilla’s side in the last minutes of his life. On the social media Sandí expressed her paid and wrote about the actions she and others performed on the fallen athlete. “Regardless of his name I did not hesitate to stop and help him, to see him as he changed the colour of his face and body, to take his hand, to speak to him, to remind him that he was a champion, to fight…to see with others as we managed to get him back…we still lost him!” wrote the woman.
In the television media this morning big is that it took the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) paramedics more than 20 minutes to reach Badilla, meanwhile Sandí, a traffic official and third man held the Badilla.
The following video by Luis López Rueda shows the anger displayed that those Badilla’s side.
Described as “Pura Sangre”, Badilla began his professional soccer career at 17.
For his respect of this great athlete, the “Clasico” soccer game between the Liga and Saprissa that was to have been played Sunday night, was postponed to December 7.
