United States Olympic Fencer Dead At The Age Of 29

The United States Fencing Association announced today that 2004 Olympic fencer, Karmara James, has died. She was 29 years old. The news was announced on the association’s website and social media pages throughout the day. The cause of death is unknown, but early reports indicate that it may have been a suicide.

“Unfortunately, mental illness proved Kamara’s most unrelenting adversary. Still, just prior to her death, she had resumed a stable drug regimen, was living comfortably and had begun thinking about the future, “said Eric Rosenberg on Fencing.net.

James was found dead in Modesto, California. She was originally born in Jamaica, but moved to Queens, N.Y. when she was 10 years old. James was originally considered to be a long shot to go to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, but she defied the odds and became one of the youngest fencers in Olympic history to make the United States team at just 19 years old.

In addition to her fencing talent, James was extremely intelligent. In High School she had a 4.0 GPA, and a near-perfect SAT score. She received a full academic scholarship to Princeton University, where she was on the fencing team, and graduated with a degree in religious studies. James went on to pursue her masters at Harvard in comparative religion.

“What always amazed me about Kamara was how diligent she was. I knew her from the day she started fencing and instantly everyone knew she was a precocious talent,” said 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Fencer, Keeth Smart.

The President of the USA Fencing Association, Don Anthony, released the follow statement on Tuesday:

“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.”

There has been no official announcement on when a memorial or funeral service will happen for James.