Former rower Ángel Fournier, considered the best Cuban exponent in the history of this sport, died this Thursday at the age of 34 in the United States due to a heart attack, according to official media on the island.
The news, which had begun to circulate through social networks, was confirmed in the digital edition of the newspaper rebel youthwhich recalled several of the main international results of the athlete born in Caimanera, Guantanamo.
A former rower, Ángel Fournier, passed away
The Cuban Rowing Federation sends a message of condolences to family and friends.https://t.co/ibI3wDmT7M pic.twitter.com/fnDUttNLdG— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) March 16, 2023
Fournier was considered for many years the main Cuban figure in the modality of single scull.
The medium highlights that among his main achievements are the two silver medals (Chingju, 2013 and Sarasota, 2017) and another bronze (Amsterdam, 2014) in world championships, in addition to being a multi-medalist in different world cups of his specialty.
The Guantanamo rower also participated in three editions of the Olympic Games and was a finalist in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro version. He signed his best performance in those games when he was a finalist and finished in sixth position.
The source adds that he also won four Pan-American titles: one in Guadalajara 2011, two in Toronto 2015 and another in Lima 2019. It was precisely the multi-sport tournament held in the Peruvian capital that marked his farewell to the national team.
In December 2020, in the midst of the preparation of the Cuban delegation for the Tokyo Olympics, it was learned that Fournier had requested his retirement from the sport for personal reasons, according to the version offered by the authorities to the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
rebel youth He specifies that it had previously been reported that the rower had been diagnosed with heart problems.
After having competed several times in the United States, the athlete traveled legally to that country. The Cuban Rowing Federation expressed its condolences to family and friends through a note published by the sports portal Hit.
Ángel Luis García, president of that organization, told the outlet that “it is a hard blow for all of us who knew him. We send our condolences to family and friends from the Federation to which he belonged ».
The outlet points out that Fournier is survived by two children: Ángel Lázaro and Natalia, two and five years old, respectively, and his wife, Yusmary Mengana, three-time Pan American champion and world cup medalist.
