Playing professional sports is always fraught with serious health consequences. Sometimes world champions and Olympic heroes pay too high a price. This post is dedicated to athletes who never received their main medal. P.S. Watching video clips is contraindicated for impressionable people and children.
1. Sergey Perkhun
Goalkeeper of the Ukrainian national team and CSKA Moscow.
On August 18, 2001, Sergei Perkhun entered the field as part of the Moscow army team against the Anzhi team. The match took place in Makhachkala. During the game, Sergei jumped headfirst into striker Budun Budunov. 
Despite all the efforts of doctors, on August 28 at 5:25 am the football player died at the Moscow Institute of Neurosurgery. N. N. Burdenko. The cause of death was total cerebral edema and cessation of cerebral blood flow.
2. Ayrton Senna
Brazilian racing driver, three-time Formula 1 world champion (1988, 1990 and 1991).
On May 1, 1994, Ayrton participated in the third race for his new team (Williams-Renault) - the San Marino Grand Prix. On a sharp turn, his car crashed into concrete wall. When doctors ran up to the racer, he no longer reacted to their words and gestures. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed brain death, which meant that Senna would never come out of his coma. A few months after the accident, its official cause was announced. Senna lost control of the car due to a broken steering column. The driver was fatally injured by the suspension arm, which, after hitting the bump stop, flew straight into the pilot’s helmet. 
3. Antonio Puerta
Spanish footballer, defender. He played for the Sevilla club.
This happened on August 25, 2007. In the Spanish Championship match against Getafe in the first round, Antonio Puerta became ill with his heart. He was able to leave the field himself, after which he suffered another attack in the locker room and was soon taken to the hospital. On August 28, Antonio Puerta died. At the time of Puerta's death, his wife was pregnant. The athlete’s child appeared two months later, he was named Aitor Antonio. 
4. Alexey Cherepanov
Russian hockey player, right winger. World champion 2007 as a member of the Russian junior team. Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship.
The heart of the Omsk Avangard striker stopped on the bench three minutes before the end of the match with Vityaz, in which the Hawks lost 4:5. The Avangard hockey club immortalized the number of Alexey Cherepanov. The sweater with the number “7”, under which Cherepanov performed, was raised under the arches of the Arena-Omsk on October 20 before the KHL match between Avangard and Dynamo Minsk. The prize “Best Newcomer of the KHL Season” was named in honor of Alexey Cherepanov. 
5. Sergey Filippenkov
Russian footballer, midfielder. As a member of CSKA Moscow, he twice won the Russian Championship. Since 2013 he has been the coach of Zenit Penza.
He died on October 15, 2015 during a friendly match between veterans of the Penza Zenit and the Penzgorstroyzakazchik company. 
Filippenkov entered the field and scored a goal. Five minutes before the end of the game he fell. The resuscitation team on the field tried to save him, but they could not pump him out. The cause of death was a heart attack; Sergei was 44 years old. 
6. Bill Masterton
Canadian hockey player.
On January 13, 1968, Bill, who played for the Minnesota North Stars, ran into Ron Harris of Oakland. Masterton was thrown back and hit his head on the ice. In those days, hockey players went on the ice without a helmet, so the injury turned out to be incompatible with life. Two days later, the hockey player died in the hospital. 
An annual award, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, was established in his honor. It is awarded to a National Hockey League hockey player who, in the opinion of experts, has demonstrated high sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. 
7. Nodar Kumaritashvili
Georgian luge athlete.
On February 12, 2010, at the Whistler Luge Center, during a training run for the Vancouver Olympics, in the last turn, which athletes enter at an angle of 270 degrees, he flew off the track at a speed of about 145 km/h and hit a supporting concrete column. A little over an hour later, without regaining consciousness, Nodar died in the hospital from his injuries. 
The life of 21-year-old biathlete Alina Yakimkina was cut short on February 21 during the Tyumen stage of the Russian Cup. Competing on the longest distance, 15 kilometers, she lost consciousness on the last lap. The team of doctors on duty during the race did not have time to help the girl and was only forced to declare death from heart failure.
For those who were familiar with Yakimkina, the tragedy was completely unexpected. She was healthy and never had heart problems.
“After this sad incident, not only in Udmurtia, but also in other regions, it is necessary to return to a thorough medical examination of athletes. Yakimkina’s performance was fine. This is the case when a completely healthy sports person dies on the track,” Igor Krasnov, Minister of Sports of Udmurtia, told TASS - this is the region the deceased athlete represented.
The doctors’ final conclusion regarding Yakimkina’s death will be made public later. The Russian Biathlon Union will conduct its own investigation, and the prosecutor's office has begun an investigation into the death of the athlete.
Alexey Cherepanov
Until this moment, the most sensational case in Russia involving the death of an athlete during a competition was the tragedy of hockey player Alexei Cherepanov. It happened on October 13, 2008 during the away match of his Avangard with Chekhov’s Vityaz.
The player was on the bench when his heart stopped shortly before the end of the game. There was no medical team in the arena. The arriving ambulance team was unable to help him either - they did not have a vital defibrillator device.
Cherepanov was only 19 years old. He was one of the best players in Russia of his age, repeatedly winning medals at the world championships with the junior and youth teams. On the day of his death, he received his first recognition from the main team of the country - he was included in the extended list for the Eurotour stage.
As in the case of Yakimkina, Cherepanov was described as an absolutely healthy athlete. However, an autopsy showed that he had a heart disease, myocarditis, and he was strictly contraindicated from playing sports. To continue his performances, the hockey player was given the drug cardiomin, which is a real dope.
Mark Vivien Foe
Footballer Marc Vivien Foe's life was cut short due to a heart attack during a Confederations Cup match in 2003. In the 72nd minute of the semi-final match between his Cameroon team and Colombia, the player suddenly fell to the ground. The efforts of the doctors were not enough - the 28-year-old football player soon died.
After an autopsy, Foe was found to have signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It increases the risk of sudden cardiac arrest during strenuous exercise.
The Confederation Cup match was completed, and the Cameroon team won it and finished the tournament with silver medals. One of them never found its owner.
In memory of Foe, Manchester City have retired the number 23 the player wore for the club. No one now plays with the number “17” on his back in Lyon and Lens, which the Cameroonian represented before. After his death, there were proposals to rename the Gerland stadium, where he died and where he played for the Weavers, but this did not happen.
Christian Benitez
July 29, 2013 became one of the most mournful days for Ecuador. That day, one of the leaders of the football team of this South American country, Christian Benitez, also known as Chucho, died.
The tragedy occurred in a Qatar championship match, where Benitez represented the Al-Jaish club. While playing, he felt pain in his stomach. Local doctors did not immediately appreciate the scale possible consequences, and the player was only taken to the hospital some time later, where he soon died of a heart attack.
For Ecuador, Chucho's death came as a shock. Tens of thousands of people came to bid farewell to him at his funeral in Quito, and among them was the country's president, Rafael Correa.
Piermario Morosini
Another notorious football player who was not destined to finish the match due to a heart attack was the Italian Piermario Morosini. In his youth, he was repeatedly called up to youth national teams, but high level never played.
In 2012, Morosini's club Levorno played against Pescara on its field. In the middle of the match, the football player lost consciousness, and when he came to his senses, he tried to get to his feet, but nothing worked. His teammates and rivals began to demand that the referee stop the game, but he did not immediately respond to the requests.
When the doctors were allowed to approach Morosini, it became obvious that he needed to be urgently taken to the hospital. However, due to an incorrectly parked car, the ambulance was unable to reach the player in time. The 25-year-old player died on the way to the hospital.
Tom Simpson
An athlete's heart can stop during competition, even if it was completely healthy. This happened to British cyclist Tom Simpson on July 13, 1967. During a stage of the Tour de France, he was climbing Mont Ventoux when he suddenly began to lose control of his bike. His team's manager and mechanic tried to persuade him to stop and wait for doctors, but Simpson continued pedaling until he fell unconscious.
The cyclist died on the way to the hospital. The cause of death was the constant use of doping, and the body could not stand it. Even during the last race, Simpson was found to have amphetamine in his pocket, and according to his partners, he washed down the drug with brandy.
Simpson was one of the best British racing drivers of his time. He became an Olympic bronze medalist in track cycling, and in 1965 he became the world champion in road cycling.
Vigor Bovolenta
Heart problems caused the death of another Olympic medalist, Italian volleyball player Vigor Bovolenta. In 1996, he led his team to silver medals at the Olympics. The player was distinguished by his sporting longevity - the next time he represented the national team at the main Games of the four-year period 12 years later.
Bovolenta did not want to end volleyball for a long time and continued to play, even when he could only compete in the fourth division of the national championship.
But at 37 years old, it was as if his body said: “Enough is enough.”
During the next match, Bovolenta suffered a heart attack. He managed to save his life for some time, but a few hours later he still died.
Fran Crippen
The death of American Fran Crippen remains the most notorious in sailing. After failing to achieve success in the pool, he switched to open water and became a world championship bronze medalist in the Olympic 10 km in 2009.
A year later, at a competition in the UAE, something irreparable happened to Crippen. He was not found at the finish line along with all the swimmers, and a search and rescue operation was announced. An hour and a half later, his lifeless body was discovered at a considerable distance from the shore.
The swim took place in extreme conditions - the water temperature was 30 degrees, and the air temperature was even higher. As the race progressed, several swimmers gave up the fight and asked medical care. Crippen did not have time to call for her - due to asthma, his heart stopped in the water.
Despite the fact that almost all athletes, as part of their professional duties, lead healthy image lives, full of strength and energy, some of them still die at the peak of their careers. A selection of famous athletes who died of sudden death is in the material.
Endurance Idahor (25 years old)
uol.com.brThe death of some athletes occurred during competitions. One of these is the player of the Nigerian youth team Endurance Idaho. In March 2016, he performed at the Sudan Cup match against the Al-Amali team. In the second half, he became ill, lost consciousness and stopped breathing. The football player died in the ambulance. The athlete's cause of death was heart failure.
Denis Ten (25 years old)
kaz.365info.kzThe Kazakhstani figure skater died on July 19, 2018. Tena has nothing to do with sports. He noticed that two men tried to remove the mirrors from his car and tried to stop the attackers. A fight ensued, as a result of which the skater was stabbed, leading to death.
The deceased athlete was a bronze medalist at the 2014 Olympics.
Johnny Owen (24 years old)
newslocker.com Another tragic death of an athlete is associated with Johnny Owen's last fight with Lupe Pintor for the world bantamweight champion belt in 1980. In the ring, the athlete was knocked out, fell into a coma and died seven weeks later without recovering. Although Johnny Owen's career was not very long, he managed to become the champion of Great Britain and Europe.
Marco Simoncelli (24 years old)
motogp.com Italian athlete and world champion in motorcycle racing Marco Simoncelli died in a live accident at the penultimate stage of the World Championship on October 23, 2011. The athlete lost control and fell under the wheels of his competitors while turning. Having received injuries incompatible with life, Simoncelli died on the spot.
Valery Kharlamov (33 years old)
The Soviet hockey player died in a car accident in the early morning of August 27. The athlete, his wife Irina and her cousin were heading to Moscow in their own car. Irina, who does not have much driving experience, got behind the wheel.
If a small emergency situation lost control, the car flew into the oncoming lane and collided with a truck. All people in the car died at the scene of the accident.
Sergei Simonov (23 years old)
news.rambler.ru A beginner but promising hockey player from Russia Sergei Simonov died on January 7, 2016. According to the investigation materials, the athlete collided with a teammate and began to complain of pain in the hypochondrium.
Simonov's condition worsened; he was hospitalized in a city hospital with a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding. The operation to remove the spleen did not save the situation, so the manipulations had to be repeated. As a result of repeated surgery, the 23-year-old hockey player died.
Junior Malanda (20 years old)
uefa.com On January 10, 2016, Belgium national football player Junior Malanda died in a car accident. The driver of the car, in whose back seat Malanda was sitting, exceeded the speed limit, the car skidded on a slippery road, it flew over the fence and overturned.
The football player was thrown out of the car and died on the spot from his injuries. It is noteworthy that the football player’s career was experiencing rapid growth at that moment. Junior Malanda was supposed to go to Russia for the 2018 World Cup.