Brazilian female bodybuilding champion Cintia Goldani has tragically died suddenly after suffering an unexpected blood clot.
Goldani was just 36 years old when she collapsed and died on Wednesday.
The celebrated athlete, from Rio Grande do Sul, died from a pulmonary embolism, according to the organizers of an upcoming championship event.
Goldani died just days before she was due to take part in the Musclecontest Brasil event in July.
In a statement, the event’s organizers, Musclecontest International, said:
“With great pain and sadness, we hereby inform you of the death of Professional Figure Athlete Cíntia Goldani due to complications from pneumonia.
“Cíntiawas an angel in human form.
“God needed reinforcement in heaven.
“She will never be forgotten by the MuscleContest family.”
Having only gone professional in 2021 and reached national levels a year later, Cíntia was due to attend one of the biggest competitions in the country next month.
Media reports suggest Goldani’s pulmonary embolism, a clot blocking a blood vessel in the lungs, was caused by a recent bout of pneumonia.
However, no official cause of death has yet been revealed.
Local media reports said she was rushed to hospital but passed away.
Gustavo Cesar, her partner and fellow bodybuilder, took to social media to share a photo of Goldani standing in front of a promotional poster for Inside Out 2.
In an emotional post, Cesar wrote:
“This is the last photo I have of you in my phone, and this is how I want to remember you forever!
“Happy smiling and with that wonderful energy, you were the best human being I have ever met in the world!
“I wish I could thank you for everything you’ve done for me, but I will thank you every day when I see the sunset…
“Thank you Cíntia, you are made of pure true love and God wanted you closer to him and away from this evil of the world.
“I wanted to be there with you being happy as we always were,” he continued.
Goldani regularly shared motivational posts and reels with her 21,000 followers on Instagram.
Her final Instagram post on Monday 17th June read:
“We are what we repeatedly do.
“Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
Fans left touching tributes under her posts upon reports of her passing.
Writing on Instagram, Professor David Stewart, a fellow bodybuilder, wrote:
“It’s more than 20 yrs of friendship.. unbelievable.
“May God receive you in the best form […] just like you’d like to be welcomed on stages.
“Where you shone and the whole world outside.”
Andrew Felipe wrote under her most recent post:
“Rest in peace… You will always be an inspiration.”
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