US sprint star Cameron Burrell dies aged 26 in unexplained incident

Cameron Burrell, the fastest college athlete in the US and the son of Olympic gold medal-winning parents, died on Monday at the age of 26.

Burrell had become a national champion after winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) individual national championship in 100 metres in 2018 at the University of Houston, equaling his father Leroy Burrell’s accomplishment 28 years earlier.

Leroy Burrell, who is a track and field coach at the University of Houston and a gold-medal sprinter, said the family is going through “profound sorrow” over the death of his son.

“My family is extremely saddened with the loss of our son, Cameron, last night,” Leroy said in a release on Tuesday. “We are going through profound sorrow and ask that all of our friends, extended University of Houston family and the track and field community in the US and abroad allow us to gather with our closest family and friends. We are profoundly grief stricken, and thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support.”

The cause of Burrell’s death has not been revealed, but medical records accessed by TMZ indicate he died in a parking garage. Further details surrounding the death remain unknown.

The University of Houston announced his death on Tuesday while describing him as one of the university’s best track and field athletes.

“Words cannot express how we feel for Leroy, Michelle and their family. Cameron grew up around the Houston Athletics Department, worked hard and developed himself into one of our greatest Track and Field stars,” university athletics director Chris Pezman said in a release.

“To lose him so suddenly is tragic. We ask all University of Houston and track and field fans to keep Coach Burrell and his family in their thoughts and prayers.”

The sudden demise of a budding professional athlete has shocked those around him. He was believed by many to be following in the footsteps of his father and his godfather Carl Lewis, a legendary track star and nine-time Olympic gold medalist.

Burrell was a member of the Houston Cougars track and field team from 2013-18. In the same season he equaled his father’s accomplishment, the Atlanta native ran the anchor leg for the Cougars in a 4x100m relay team event, successfully defending its NCAA championship.

posted Wednesday August 11th
by Shweta Sharma