Footballer falls and dies during training in Bolivia

A player passed away while training at the age of 24. 

Guillermo Denis Beltrán, the 24-year-old Colombian striker, was on the field attending a training session with Real Santa Cruz, a top-tier Bolivian football club.

The Colombian player began to feel unwell and collapsed shortly after. He died of respiratory arrest, Real Santa Cruz said, issuing a statement on his death.

The Colombian striker's teammates told the media that he felt nausea before collapsing. The club's medical team immediately kickstarted efforts to revive him, but failed. Doctors called in an ambulance as they tried to revive him.

His sudden death left his teammates and the football community in shock.

Real Santa Cruz director Adolfo Soria Galvarro recounted the harrowing event, stating, "He was training as usual and then he collapsed. They tried to resuscitate him but he died as he was being moved to a clinic."

The football community, including the Bolivian Football Federation, expressed condolences to the family.

The Real Santa Cruz football club is situated in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city around 850 kilometers east of La Paz. The club is mourning the loss of Beltrán, who joined them just last year from Paraguay's Rubio Ñu. Previously, he had started his career at Colombia's Atletico Nacional.

Fernando Costa, the president of the Bolivian Football Federation, offered his condolences to the bereaved family. He assured support for both the club and Beltrán's family. He also announced that there would be an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Beltrán's untimely death.

Beltrán scored one goal in 21 matches for Real Santa Cruz in the Bolivian championship.