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Occasionally, a well known (and sometimes some not so well known) athlete manages to die in a way that can only be described as bizarre. Usually, for obvious reasons, they are male. Sportsfreak takes a look at 10 such folk, to try and show you some of the more inventive ways that some of our past heroes have clocked off. Some are weird, some are hard to believe, and some are just downright unlucky. And no – we did not make any of these up. This is the second of our two-part series. 5. Owen Hart - Wrestling Death doesn’t get much more unlucky than the case of professional wrestler Owen Hart. As part of a wrestling dynasty, the Hart name had become synonymous with the sport, and he was at the top of his game when his life ended on the 23rd May 1999. Hart was on the bill of the WWF “Over the Edge” pay-per-view event in Kansas. As part of the usual histrionics surrounding the event, Hart was being lowered into the ring prior to his bout with The Godfather. As he was making his approach, it is believed that he inadvertently triggered a quick release on his harness, plummeting 24 metres on to the top rope, with his chest taking the impact. Millions were spared the sight of his grisly death, as the pay-per-view audience was watching a pre-recorded segment at the time. But the crowd watched mortified as a lifeless Hart was removed from Kemper Arena, and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Truman Medical Centre. 4. Julissa Gomez - Gymnastics Much like Vladimir Smirnov (see above), the death of American gymnast Julissa Gomez became the catalyst for changes in safety measures in competitive sport. Gomez was a promising gymnast, particularly proficient on the uneven bars and the balance beam. However, the vault was not her strong point, and at the 1988 World Sports Fair in Japan, the 15 year old was struggling to master the discipline, even in practice. Many felt that she was struggling so badly that she should have been prevented from attempting the Yurchenko style vault during competition. Her coaches however insisted that she continue, with disastrous results. As Gomez approached the vault during her final warm up, her foot slipped off the springboard and she crashed head first into the apparatus, resulting in instant paralysis. To make matters worse, an accident in the Japanese hospital where her ventilator was detached left her in a catatonic state with severe brain damage. She lived for a further three years, dying at the age of 18 after an infection got the better of her in her home state of Texas. The following year, the International Gymnastic Federation allowed springboard safety mats in competition, rather just in practice. In 2006, the mats became mandatory.
3. Ed Delahanty - Baseball Mmmmmm…….alcohol. Top stuff most of the time, but it certainly got the better of baseball veteran Ed Delahanty, one of the early great power hitters of the game. He kicked off his career in 1888 with the Philadelphia Phillies, and it came to an end (somewhat prematurely) with the Washington Senators some 16 seasons later – in the process he achieved the fifth best career batting average of all time. But it all came to a bizarre end on the 2nd July 1903, as Delahanty was a passenger on a train travelling through the area around the Niagara Falls. Big Ed had been consuming vast amounts of booze, and was kicked off the train by the conductor after brandishing a razor and threatening other passengers. He was last seen heading in the direction of International Bridge, crossing the body of water leading to Niagara Falls. What happened next is the subject of some conjecture. Some claim that Delahanty was followed by a mysterious man who knocked off the big guy. Some say it was suicide, others a drunken mishap. Either way, Delahanty’s body was found at the foot of the falls, and one of the great careers had come to an end. 2. Luciano Re Cecconi - Football Every now and then, sport throws up a complete idiot – Luciano Re Cecconi would be close to the biggest of them. Re Cecconi was on the roster of the 1974 Italian Football World Cup squad, after having starred in the midfield for Lazio. Less than three years later, he was dead – the result of an incredibly dumb practical joke that went pear-shaped rather quickly. Out on the town in January 1977 in Rome with Lazio teammate Piero Ghedin, they stopped in at a local jewellers to make a purchase – but before entering the store, the hare-brained duo decided to play a joke on the shop owner. Re Cecconi stuck his hand in his pockets and yelled out “Stop! This is a robbery”. The shopkeeper whipped out a gun and pointed it at Ghedin, who quickly raised his hands in the air. The shopkeeper did the same to Re Cecconi, who failed to follow suit. As a result, he was shot at close range, dying half an hour later. His last words? “It’s a joke, it’s a joke”. Dumb arse. 1. Camille Jenatzy – Motor Racing Death is not subject that should be trivialised. But occasionally, you just have to look at certain instances of death and shake your head. Belgian Camille Jenatzy was an early motor racing legend. He broke the land speed record on three occasions, and was also the first man to break the 100km/h barrier. The original speed demon, he was famous both for his spectacular racing style and his continual determination to push himself to the limit. In fact, his record breaking car was called La Jamais Contente (The Never Satisfied) . So how did Jenatzy depart this mortal coil? Well, not in a way you would normally expect a daredevil of motor racing to go, and certainly not behind the wheel. Out hunting with a group of friends in December 1913, Jenatzy decided to do something that no particularly sane man would ever attempt. He snuck in behind a few bushes and made some animal noises as a prank on his friends. It worked a treat. He died of gunshot wounds on the way to hospital.
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