Kamara James Death: Former US Fencing Olympian Dies at 29, Battled Mental Illness
Former United States Fencing Olympian Kamara James passed away at the age of 29 in Modesto, California, multiple reports revealed.
USA Fencing president Don Anthony confirmed reports about James' passing on Tuesday, but it is unclear at this point when the former Olympian actually died.
In a statement posted on the USA Fencing official website, Anthony expressed sorrow over the passing of James, who he called as one of the "brightest" and "precocious" athlete that he ever met.
"Kamara James was one of the brightest, precocious, self-assured young people I ever met. From her time as a very young fencer at the Peter Westbrook Foundation to her years at Princeton as an accomplished Olympian she remained warm, caring and confident," Anthony said. "Kamara's untimely passing leaves our fencing community very saddened and her spirit, charm and wit will be dearly missed."
James represented USA at the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens. She was one of the youngest fencers during the event and was the lone representative of USA in women's epee.
The cause of James' death is still unknown at this point, but Craig Harkins of Fencing.net indicated that it might have something to do with the fencer's battle with mental illness over the past several years.
Harkins reported that James was admitted to a psychiatric hospital during her senior year in college and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was released after three months and returned to school, but the Kingston, Jamaica native was still battling mental ailments before her death.
"Unfortunately, mental illness proved Kamara's most unrelenting adversary. Still, just prior to her death, she had resumed a stable drug regimen, was living comfortably and had begun thinking about the future," Harkins wrote. "The world will never know what Kamara James was capable of accomplishing had she not been so cruelly afflicted."
Keeth Smart, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist said that James was one of the smartest fencers that he ever competed with, while also adding that she is aware how Kamara battled financial troubles to fulfill her dream of making it into the Olympic Games.
"Kamara was one of the smartest people I've ever come across," Smart said. "Sometimes the strongest and fastest win, but to have a great career in fencing, you have to be one of the smartest and she definitely was it."
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