Vladislav Timakov, a 22-year old member of the Russian National Water Polo Team, has died, according to the Russian Water Polo Federation.
During a preseason practice with his club Sintez Kazan, he “died suddenly” from an apparent heart attack.
His teammate Ivan Nagaev told the Russian sports news outlet Ves Sports that Timakov began to go under water during training before teammates pulled him out, where a doctor administered first aid. The efforts were not enough, as Timakov died on the way to the hospital.
Nagaev says that he believes it was a heart attack, though the director of the club says that the official cause of death will be made public within the next week after an autopsy.
According to the Russian Water Polo Federation, Timokov had no known health problems and underwent a medical examination before the World Championships.
Timakov played for the Russian National Water Polo Team in July and August at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in his hometown of Kazan, where they finished 14th. He scored 1 goal in 3 games for the team.
He was also on Russia’s 2013 World University Games team, which also played in Kazan, that won a silver medal. At that point, he was a member of Moscow’s Shturm club.
