Ellie Soutter one of Britain’s most talented young snowboarders, died on her 18th birthday on Wednesday. She won medal at European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.
Tributes have been paid to one of the “country’s best up-and-coming snowboarders” but no further details have been released about her death.
In a joint statement announcing her death the British Olympic Association chairman, Hugh Robertson, and the athlete commission chairman, Ben Hawes, described Soutter as “an incredibly popular and well-liked member of the Soutter, one of Britain’s most talented young snowboarders.
“Ellie was one of the country’s best up-and-coming snowboarders, competing in both snowboard cross and freeride,” British Ski and Snowboard said in a statement.
The statement added that Soutter was due to return to competition next month after being selected for the British team heading for the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. BSS said Soutter was one of the inaugural members of the British Europa Cup snowboard cross programme.
Soutter’s bronze was Team GB’s only medal at the Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Turkey last year. Team GB celebrated her medal with the Twitter message: “Tears of joy and snow stuffed down her back.”
Soutter’s official website described going to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as her “ultimate ambition”, while listing her as an ambassador for the Les Gets Ski Station in the French Alps.
Writing on Facebook on Thursday, her father, Tony Soutter, said he was “so proud of the beautiful young woman she had turned into”.
He added: “This cruel world took my soul mate and ‘Bessie’ from me yesterday on her 18th birthday. Ellie I will miss you more than you could have ever imagined. Rest in peace you little champion.”
>Juthy Saha
British Olympic Snowboarder Ellie Soutter Dies Aged 18
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