He suddenly collapsed on stage, collapsing before the astonished eyes of the audience. Just on his birthday. Mateusz Chmura, a 33-year-old bodybuilder, died on Sunday 18 October after falling ill during the Pca British Finals, the national finals of the Physical culture association, at the Telford International Centre, in England. The news was released in the last few hours, while the cause of death is still unknown.
Useless help
He was rushed to hospital and died a few hours later. At the time of the illness, a paramedic present at the event immediately intervened and performed cardiac massage. Then an air ambulance took him to hospital, but there was nothing that could be done. We are now waiting to understand the exact causes of death: the amateur athlete seemed to be in excellent health until a few moments before his fatal illness.
The words of the federation
Mateusz Chmura competed in the “classic bodybuilding medium” category. During his performance he collapsed in front of the audience and other competitors. A sudden illness that temporarily interrupted the race. While the man was in hospital, the organizers met with the other competing athletes and decided to restart the competition. No one, at that moment, yet knew that he was dead.
The news arrived on Monday 19 October, with a press release from the federation. The Pca, one of the most important bodybuilding and fitness organizations in Europe, announced his death “with profound sadness”, sent condolences to his family and thanked those who helped in the rescue effort, also asking to respect the privacy of the athlete’s family.
Bodybuilder Reza Eradi Bahrani wrote under the federation’s post that Chmura had been married less than two months ago and that Sunday was his birthday. “Less than 48 hours had we trained together in the gym. Life can be so cruel and unfair,” the colleague said.