Kamara James, an Olympic fencer for Team USA during the 2004 Olympic Games in fencing, has passed away. She was 29.
TheGrio.com reported on the news, in which they reveal that USA Fencing made the announcement through its social media and website on Tuesday. The former Olympian passed away in Modesto, California. At the moment, it is unclear what the cause of death was for James.
In a statement on the US Fencing website, Don Anthony, US Fencing president, said the following:
"Kamara James was one of the brightest, precocious, self-assured young people I ever met. From her time as a very young fencer at the Peter Westbrook Foundation to her years at Princeton as an accomplished Olympian she remained warm, caring and confident. Kamara’s untimely passing leaves our fencing community very saddened and her spirit, charm and wit will be dearly missed."
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, before moving to Queens, New York at the age of 10, James was a Princeton graduate, where she went under a full scholarship until she graduated in 2007. She was 19-years-old when she represented Team USA at the Olympics, becoming one of the youngest fencers in the field and the only woman's epee fencer to qualify. Even though she had fenced on the Senior National Team since she was 16 and won a bronze medal in the Junior World Championship the year prior, she was considered a long shot for being selected in the Olympics. She was also considered an excellent student.
James was called a "shining star among her peers" by the Jamaican Fencing Federation in their offical Facebook post.
While the cause of death has not been confirmed, according to Eric Rosenberg of Fencing.net, James had a history of mental health challenges. Although, Rosenberg did say that James "had resumed a stable drug regimen, was living comfortably and had begun thinking about the future."
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