Ellie Soutter, an Olympic snowboarder from the United Kingdom, died on her 18th birthday—July 25—according to British officials.
Soutter claimed the UK’s only medal at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Turkey last year, officials said.
“Ellie was an incredibly popular and well-liked member of the team,” said BOA Chair Hugh Robertson and BOA Athlete Commission Chair Ben Hawes in the statement. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."
The cause of her death is not clear.
Her father, Tony Soutter, wrote on Facebook that this "cruel world took my Soul mate and ‘Bessie’ from me yesterday on her 18th birthday."
“I was so proud of the beautiful young woman she had turned into," he said. “Ellie I will miss you more than you could have ever imagined. Rest in peace you little Champion!”
"She spent the 2017/18 season competing on the Freeride Junior Tour, but was due to return to snowboard cross competition next month after being selected in the British team for the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. She was an inaugural member of the British Europa Cup snowboard cross programme which commenced earlier this year," the organization added.