Maria Raphael, a Taekwondo competitor, was killed after being crushed in Nasarawa State.
The dead was struck and killed by a truck on Friday in Lafia, the state capital, while competing for team Nasarawa in the recently finished Bayelsa Open Taekwondo.
After buying some groceries from a store on Lafia's UAC Road, the dead lost her life.
The gifted competitor placed third in the women's 46 kg division at the 15th Panamai West African and Cottage Mills Taekwondo Championship, which was recently held in Lagos State.
She was competing for Nasarawa in a championship that took place between August 21 and August 24, 2022, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
In a statement, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, described the death as an unquantifiable loss, saying her immense contributions to sports in the state would be sorely missed.
“Maria was crushed to death (sic) by an articulated vehicle (trailer) along UAC Road here in Lafia, while on her way to purchase some items from a grocery store in the evening of Friday, 26th August, 2022, few hours after returning home from a championship in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where she represented Nasarawa State.”
“At the 15th edition of the Panamai West African and Cottage Mills Taekwondo Championship held early this month in Lagos, the late Maria Raphael was one of the athletes who inspired Team Nasarawa to finish 4th position on the medals’ table as she won a bronze medal in the -46kg Women’s Category at the Championship.
“The deceased was a committed, dedicated and focused athlete, winning medals of different categories for Nasarawa State, ranging from cadet, junior and senior category, until her untimely demise.
“Maria brought lots of glory and honour to Nasarawa State. Her demise is an unquantifiable loss to everyone of us at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and Nasarawa State as a whole, while her immense contributions will be sorely missed,” read the statement signed by Eche Amos, spokesman of the ministry.