East London Taekwondo medallist, 19, dies suddenly

Tributes are being paid to Isabelle Sava, a 19-year-old Taekwondo world medallist and Queen Mary University student, who died suddenly on August 17. Sava was discovered in a critical condition and died despite emergency services' attempts to revive her. A fundraising page has been launched by a family friend to help cover funeral expenses.

A Promising Future Cut Short

Isabelle Sava, a Romanian student at Queen Mary University in Mile End, East London, had a lifelong ambition to pursue a career in commercial law. She was preparing to start her second year of studies and was an active member of the Law Society, Commercial Awareness Society, and Student Advancement Society. Earlier this year, a legal article she authored was published by the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. She had also been employed as a tutor at Ali's Academy for over two years.

Adriana Agache, a family friend who launched the fundraising page, described Sava as someone who "wasn't someone who simply dreamed about her future. Even at 19, she was already working incredibly hard to build it." Agache added that Sava was "intelligent, ambitious, focused and incredibly determined."

Athletic Achievements and Community Involvement

Beyond her academic pursuits, Sava was a dedicated Taekwondo practitioner for over a decade, achieving a second-degree black belt. In 2022, she earned a silver medal in sparring at the World Taekwondo Championships held in the Netherlands. She also served as a Police Cadet and received a Jack Petchey Achievement Award in recognition of her dedication and accomplishments.

Agache noted that the strength and discipline Sava developed through Taekwondo "became part of the young woman she was." She added that Sava was "kind, intelligent, loving, thoughtful, disciplined, compassionate and incredibly hardworking."

The fundraising campaign aims to assist Sava's parents, Laura and Ovi Sava, with the financial pressures of their unexpected loss. Agache stated that Sava was their "only child" and their "whole world."