Volleyball star Julia Ituma has died at just 18-years-old after falling from the window of her hotel room hours after her Igor Novara side were eliminated from the Champions League.
The Italians had travelled to Turkey to face Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul in the second leg of their semi-final tie. Ituma scored two points during her side's 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-21) defeat on Wednesday night.
The 18-year-old had been dubbed as the 'next big thing' in the sport and featured in the game against Eczacibasi. She had been in the first season with Igor Novara, with the Piedmont-based team having bought her from Club Italia at the end of last year.
But she sadly fell to her death at her hotel in Istanbul, where the team had been staying for their trip to Turkey. According to Corriere Dello Sport, no cause has yet been identified and the incident is being investigated.
Igor finished second in the Italian Women's Serie A1 last season, before being knocked out in the semi-finals of the playoffs, though still qualified for the CEV Women's Champions League.
They claimed fifth-place in the Serie A1 table this year to again reach the play-offs and are currently set to face Chieri Turin in the quarter-finals on Sunday, though that will likely now be postponed.
Ituma celebrated her 18th birthday in October, but by that point already had a European Championship gold medal and Most Valuable Player award under her belt. And she admitted that it was the advice of teachers that led her to start playing volleyball.
“Following the advice of relatives and teachers, I started with Volleyball. At the beginning, I was a middle blocker, and I stayed on that position until I arrived at Club Italia, but from then on, I started attacking from 2,” she told CEV in October.
“I was looking at all the players who were there [Club Italia] - top players, and they were doing something that I too loved, and in which, according to those who understood much more than me, I could get pretty good.
"Personally, the individual prize was also a great achievement - the cherry on the top of the cake, giving me the right energy for this start of the season. Here, in Novara, I am again the one who has so much to learn and to demonstrate.
"They are placing a lot of trust in me, and now, it's up to me to show that it is worth it. One of my main goals is my personal growth - always keeping eyes and ears open to new opportunities, to learn and to improve myself.
"I want to thank the staff - I am more than sure they have a lot to take. I am learning a lot from the players as well - from my team and from others, I am finding and will certainly find many ideas for the game.”
READ MORE:
