Gold medalist Andrew Simpson died on Thursday after being trapped beneath a capsized boat.
Simpson won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and a silver medial in the 2012 Olympics in London, both in the Star class of sailboats. He was in San Francisco training with the Artemis Racing team for the upcoming America’s Cup when the boat, which had a crew of 11 men, capsized. Andrew was trapped beneath the platform for more than ten minutes, and was unable to be revived when he was finally pulled out.
Artemis CEO Paul Cayard released a statement on the group’s website, saying:
“Our prayers are with Andrew Simpson’s family, his wife and kids, and also the rest of my teammates. It’s a shocking experience to go through, and we have a lot to deal with in the next few days in terms of assuring everybody’s well being. The boat’s under control, but that’s not the first of our concerns. We’re focused on the people. That’s what we’re working with and on and we’ll give you more information when we’re able to.”
As of now, it’s not known what caused the boat to tip over. At least one other person was injured in the accident.
Gold medalist Andrew Simpson found dead as his yacht capsized … Very sad news xx thinking of his family xx
— Selena Mary-Anne (@SELENA_P2012) May 10, 2013
So tragic.RT @theatlanticwire: An Olympic Gold Medalist Is Dead After His Boat Capsized During America’s Cup Training flip.it/OWnfA
— Kerry W Cooper (@kerrywcooper) May 10, 2013
“@foxnews: Sailor killed after sailboat capsized identified as Olympic gold medalist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson: fxn.ws/147AauJ” SO SAD.
— Joan Berry (@joanwberry) May 9, 2013
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