Still surprised and worried by the news, Xavier Aguirre, former president of the Ecuadorian Surfing Federation and current vice-president of the Pan-American organization of this sport, revealed in an interview with EXTRA that the last hours of the life of the tricolor surfer Israel Barona took place with his family and friends.

“They were in a hotel on the beach (El Zonte, La Libertad, El Salvador), even their compatriot Jonathan Zambrano, El Gato Chila, He managed to arrive that day and they had surfed together. What we do know is that It wasn’t a training or surfing accident; It all happened after having dinner with his wife Marie (Canadian surfer) and his little son (Tiago). They slept together and apparently he started having difficulty breathing, then came the convulsions… Eventually, all this broke loose. We don’t know exactly what inconvenience he had or the exact cause of death, but he was with his wife,” revealed Aguirre, also distraught.

The manager, who is in Chile for the 2023 Pan American Games, He explained that Israel was being assisted by his wife, but being far away (about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital) “there was nothing they could do”, so local authorities confirmed his death. “It surprised us all.”

Aguirre, who has known Israel since childhood, described it as a “healthy” athlete. “When we were in the high performance program, he was part of it, he was a great surfer; I have known the Baronas (Mimi and Israel) since they were children and how they evolved. At the time when I was responsible for the Ecuadorian Surfing Association (until 2019) we had a complete team with doctors, psychologists, including cardiac measurements, so I can say that Israel had no problem, no pathology… “We don’t know what happened,” he said.

Continue reading: (“The worst nightmare of my life”: the sister of surfer Israel Barona mourns his loss)

For Aguirre, there were other causes for Barona’s sudden death. “Maybe the boy was allergic or got bitten by a bug.” On these beaches there might be scorpions, scorpions, or his dinner hurt him, he had an allergic reaction, but the boy had no problem,” he said bluntly.

Barona, 34, was in El Salvador preparing to compete in the Latin American Surf Association tournament (Alas) of his country, and then travel to Guatemala, which would help him score points for the Puerto Rico 2024 Surfing World Cup, an event that would offer him a ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A goal that will no longer be achieved. Her sister Mimi was the first tricolor to represent the country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Now the dream of seeing them together has been interrupted.

“They ripped out my heart and my soul. Ñañito Isra I love you and I miss you… “The worst nightmare of my life.” » were Mimi’s first words on her social networks after Israel’s death.

As we learned this Wednesday, November 1, the surfer’s body was veiled in El Salvador, while the Ecuadorian embassy in that country was handling repatriation between today and tomorrow.

Laura Donoso, main official of the organization in the Central American country, revealed details. “The Salvadoran authorities contacted us; The Minister of Tourism, Morena Ileana Valdez, called me personally to put myself at her disposal and ensure that this was done quickly. A series of procedures must be completed, both medical and the death certificate. The family asked repatriation of the body.

On the other, the multiple surfing champion and sister of Israel, Mimi Barona is already in El Salvador. He was known to have traveled from Chile to this country just as his brother was dying.

“We support a member of his family, Mimi Barona, who is a Olympic height champion for Ecuador. The athlete arrived from Chile, where she was participating in the Pan American Games,” said Ambassador Donoso.

Do you want to access all the quality content without limits? REGISTER HERE !