Olympic snowboarder, Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, has died in a spearfishing accident in his native country of Australia at age 32.
“Paramedics were called to a post-immersion incident off Nineteenth Avenue at Palm Beach just after 10.30am,” a spokesperson with Queensland Ambulance Service shared in a statement, per CNN in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: Legendary Comic Don Rickles Died At Age 90)
“One patient was treated at the scene,” the statement added.
Two-time world champion snowboarder Alex Pullin, 32, has died in a spearfishing accident in his native Australia https://t.co/ZOJ6fLe9XX
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 8, 2020
Snow Australia, the official social media site for “competitive skiing and snowboarding in Australia” confirmed the news of the superstar athlete’s death with a post on Instagram. (RELATED: Hollywood Reacts To Death Of Legendary Actress Doris Day)
“The Snow Australia community is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of triple Olympian, Alex Pullin, who today lost his life while spear fishing on the Gold Coast this morning,” the post read.
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“Our deepest condolences are with Alex’s family, as well as his team mates and support staff,” the post added. “Alex was a beloved member of the Snow Australia community and he will be dearly missed.
Alex was found unconscious on the sea floor by another diver. Paramedics were called out and performed CPR on him before pronouncing him dead at the scene, per Australia 7 News.
Authorities believe Pullin was free diving and spearfishing without a breathing apparatus off the shore alone.
The two-time Australian world champion was the Australian flag bearer for the Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia in 2014. He competed in three Olympics in all, 2010, 2014, and 2018.