PH
Emilia Brangefalt, a Swedish trail runner, died at the age of 21 after committing su.icide.
The long-distance runner won bronze in the Trail Global Championships 40km race in Chiang Mai in 2022 and fifth in a global championship race in Innsbruck this year before being forced to retire from the sport after being diagnosed with an unusually high heart rate.
Brangefalt detailed her struggles in an Instagram post on November 4, saying how she had been suffering both physically and mentally since being forced to take a sabbatical from the sport.
“Just taking a walk is painful right now,’ Brangefalt wrote.
”Have been to the hospital and visited the medical over 20 times but every single blood test, ekg, or cycle test is good. Still, my body is super stressed, although I have given it so much love over the past few months’.
‘Maybe it was to much for a 21-year-old girl to run Transvulcania 48k and WMTRC 45k with less than one month in between. I am super sad because running and training mean so much’, the athlete added.
‘But now, just living a normal life is difficult. I have spent more hours in bed than on my feet this past month. Maybe one day I will be back. Or I won’t. I hope my body can recover from this.’
The Swedish Athletics Federation revealed Brangefalt’s suicide earlier this month on Wednesday evening.
‘During her last months, Emilia felt very ill, both physically and mentally,’ said their statement. She received strong support from those closest to her, but she took her own life on November 13′.
The statement also featured remarks from SAF Captain Kasja Bergqvist, who stated that Brangefalt’s death was “so deeply tragic” that she had “a hard time finding words.”
‘I didn’t know Emilia personally but have understood that she was a very nice person, a forward-thinking, lovely, talented girl with her whole life ahead of her,’ she added.
Brangefalt’s running association Vasteras FK also shared a statement on its website, saying that they are all ‘in mourning’.
