A champion wrestler has tragically died aged 32 after falling from the balcony of her 11th-floor flat.
Senior European Championship silver medallist Zsanett Németh fell to her death on Tuesday (23 Jun).
The Hungarian athlete, who had been competing for Bulgaria since 2023, was reportedly in a close relationship with fellow wrestler Bilyana Dudova, according to Bulgarian media.
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The pair are said to have shared a room but had been arguing frequently in recent months. It is claimed they also argued shortly before Zsanett’s death in Sofia.
Local newspapers suggest she may have taken her own life following a relationship breakdown. According to some reports, she had also been seeing a psychologist.
Police are investigating the circumstances, and while authorities consider suicide the most likely explanation, they have not ruled out foul play.
Zsanett’s coach, Sándor Nesó, had spoken to her just three weeks before the tragedy, and told Hungarian media that nothing had indicated she was struggling.
“I saw no signs of this. You can usually hear if someone is in trouble,” he said.
“Zsanett still had plans. She said she wanted to compete at the Los Angeles Games and fulfil her dream of winning an Olympic medal.”
Zsanett was born in Veszprém and began her wrestling journey in Berhida, as reported by Need To Know.
She initially accompanied her brother to Sándor’s training sessions before taking up the sport herself.
To support the development of women’s wrestling in Hungary in the late 1990s and early 2000s, girls were allowed to compete in boys’ competitions in a weight class one category below their own.
This led to Zsanett beating the entire boys’ field to win gold at the age of 12 at an invitational tournament in Újpest.
Zsanett made her breakthrough at junior level in 2011, when she won the Cadet World Championships in Szombathely in the 70kg category.
That year, she also won a bronze medal at the European Cadet Championships in Warsaw, Poland.
In 2016, at the peak of her career, she competed at the Rio Olympic Games.
The following year, she won a silver medal at the European Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia – her greatest success at senior level.
In 2019, she added a European bronze medal in Bucharest, Romania.
She last competed at a major international event in 2021.
In 2022, she moved to Bulgaria, and the following year announced she would continue competing under Bulgarian colours.
Despite the move, she remained in close contact with her coach.
She was competing for CSKA Sofia at the time of her passing.
According to Hungarian media, there had been discussions about her potentially returning to Hungary, with her former club UTE ready to welcome her back.
Sándor said: “She was a respectful, helpful girl. Almost every year she found time to visit us at least once. She remains Berhida’s greatest pride.”
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