23 November 2023 , 17:10
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A talented long distance runner took her own life at the age of 21 just days after revealing her despair at having to stop training, reports claim.
Swedish runner Emilia Brangefalt won a bronze medal in the 40km race at the Trail World Championships in Chiang Mai last year, and earlier this year came fifth in a world championship race in Innsbruck.
However, she was diagnosed with an 'extremely high heart rate' shortly afterwards, and was forced to take a break from training. In a post shared on Instagram on November 4 she detailed her physical and mental struggles since being forced to take time away from the sport.
Brangefalt won a bronze medal at the 2022 Trail World Championships (Emilia Brangefalt Instagram)"Just taking a walk is painful right now," Brangefalt wrote. "Have been to the hospital and visit the medical over 20 times but every single blood test/ ekg/ cycle test is good. Still my body is super stressed although I have given it so much love the past months.
"Maybe it was to much for a 21 year old girl to run Transvulcania 48k and WMTRC 45k with less then one month in between. I am super sad because running and training means so much. But now, just living a normal life is difficult. I have spent more hours in bed than on my feet this past month. Maybe one day I will be back. Or I won’t. I hope my body can recover from this."
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Brangefalt had spoken of her struggles since being forced to give up training (Emilia Brangefalt Instagram)Nine days later, on November 13, Brangefalt died by suicide, according to a statement from the Swedish Athletics Federation (SAF) released on Wednesday. It read: "During her last months, Emilia felt very bad, both physically and mentally. She had good support from those closest to her, but on November 13, she ended her life."
SAF captain Kasja Bergvist added: "I didn’t know Emilia personally but have understood that she was a very nice person, a forward-thinking, lovely, talented girl with her whole life ahead of her."
Brangefalt's brother Adam paid tribute to his sister on Instagram, and said that she had tried to get psychiatric support a day before her death, but was unable to access help due to staff shortages.
Emilia had won a bronze medal at the World Trail Championships last year (Emilia Brangefalt Instagram)In a moving message, Adam wrote: "Your love for your sport and being able to move, was indescribable. A love for sports that we have always shared. All the hundreds of kilometers we skied, all the jumps we made and all the nice memories we created through movement. But love is difficult. When your love for what you loved most painfully rips from you and your body. You couldn't take it anymore."
Vasteras FK, Brangefalt's running club, released a statement saying that they are all "in mourning" and that they plan to pay tribute to her at their annual gala on Friday.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch.