Olympic volleyball champion Walewska dies aged 43 after falling from building

Brazilian volleyball player Walewska Oliveira, who won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics died on Thursday the 21st of September. She was only 43 years old.

The news was confirmed by the website UOL, which contacted the athlete's family and therapist. CNN has reported Walewska fell from the 15th floor of a building in the Jardins neighborhood, in São Paulo (Brazil). She was in town for the launch of her biography.

Walewska Moreira de Oliveira, born in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil), was part of the Brazilian volleyball team for 10 years. Before winning gold in Beijing, she and her colleagues had already won bronze in Sydney 2000.

The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) released a statement lamenting the loss of Walewska, who also won three Grand Prix titles, the 1999 Pan American Games, and the 2013 Champions Cup.

In a post on Instagram, CBV president Radames Lattari said, "Walewska was a special player, her trajectory in the sport will forever be remembered and revered. At this very difficult time, CBV sympathizes with the family and friends of this great player".

Walewska, who was a midfielder, began her career at Minas Tênis Clube, in the 1990s. She played for several Brazilian teams, including Osasco/Audax and Dentil/Praia Clube from Minas Gerais.

Walewska also played for Sirio Perugia, in Italy, between 2004 and 2007. From there, she was signed by Grupo 2002 Murcia, in Spain, where she remained during the 2007-2008 season.  She also represented the Russian side, VC Zarechie Odintsovo, from 2008 to 2011.

In 2012, the player decided to leave the Brazilian team so she could spend more time with her family. Thus, she did not participate in the London Olympics.

"A player doesn't just live on sport, she lives on post-career, on the relationships you managed to cultivate during your career too," she said in an interview with the Bola da Vez program. In the photo, he appears next to the star Leila.

Walewska retired from the court in 2022. Since then, she has been a businesswoman. According to the website UOL, she was about to launch a brand of healthy chocolates.