18-Year-Old Italian-Nigerian Volleyball Star, Julia Ituma, Passes Away After Falling From 6th-Floor

Following her teams defeat at the Champions League semi-final, 18-year-old Italian volleyball player of Nigerian descent, Julia Ituma, tragically fell to her death from the sixth floor of her hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.


Following her team’s defeat at the Champions League semi-final, 18-year-old Italian volleyball player of Nigerian descent, Julia Ituma, tragically fell to her death from the sixth floor of her hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ituma’s body was discovered on Thursday morning, April 13, in her hotel room shortly after her team’s loss. Reports from Mail Online state that she fell from her sixth-floor room at the Vally Hotel, which she was reportedly sharing with a fellow teammate.

She had been representing her team Igor Gorgonzola Novara in the second-leg knockout clash with Turkish side Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul and managed to score two points despite their loss.

The Italian consulate in Turkey is working closely with officials in the country to provide support to Ituma’s family.

According to CNN Turk, Ituma was found motionless on the ground outside the Valley Hotel at around 5:30 am on Thursday. Emergency responders arrived at the scene shortly after, but she was pronounced dead.

The local police have initiated an investigation into the incident, and her body has been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of her tragic death.

Ituma, born in 2001 in Milan to Nigerian parents, was considered among the most promising talents in Italian volleyball and had been playing the sport since the age of 11. This was her first season with Igor Gorgonzola Novara, and she had transferred from Club Italia three seasons earlier.

She had achieved significant successes in her career, including winning gold at the European Championship and the European Youth Olympic Festival with the Under-19 Italian national team. In a previous event, she was a runner-up with the Under-18 side after their defeat to Russia in 2021.

Reflecting on her passion for volleyball in an interview with CEV in October the previous year, Ituma shared, ‘I decided to put my heart and soul into it, and I’d say we’ll see how it goes on.’.


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