A champion arm wrestler drowned after jumping into a river when he heard a stricken man’s cries for help.
Bogdan Stefan Cristoiu was lying on the riverbank with his friends when he heard Ramesh Ganegedara’s screams on Sunday (14 Jul).
Without a second thought, Cristoiu, 29, jumped into the water in a bid to rescue Ganegedara, 24, but both were swept away by the current.
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Firefighters were called to the scene and began searching for the young men immediately.
Cristoiu was found dead just before 11pm.
His body was found four metres deep, a short distance upstream from where witnesses had seen him disappear.
Cristoiu’s flatmate, Claudiu Ene, was with his friend on the banks of the Brenta River in Campo San Martino, Italy.
He told local media: “He didn’t hesitate for a moment. He was an excellent swimmer.
“He jumped into the water and with powerful strokes tried to reach the boy.
“He tried several times to grab his hand, and I saw that he even managed to do so, but the force of the water caused him to let go and they were separated.”
It was Cristoiu’s first time at the spot, according to Ene.
He went on: “I heard them shouting for help several times.
“Then I saw the body of the boy Stefan was helping pass in front of me, being dragged downstream past the beach.
“Then I turned my head, incredulous, to the left, towards the bridge.
“I saw Stefan’s body turning in the waves, resurfacing face up, and then disappearing into a whirlpool.”
According to the fire brigade, the river can flow backwards in the spot where Cristoiu entered the water due, in part, to a hydraulic barrier.
Cristoiu was from Curtarolo but lived in Villanova di Camposampiero, as reported on Need To Know.
He described himself on social media as an “arm wrestling pro athlete, instructor, and coach” and a “six-time Italian champion”.
The previous weekend, he had been competing in an international arm wrestling competition in Istanbul, Turkey.
Ene said: “He hadn’t won, but he was happy to have had this experience where he met many people, many athletes like himself.”
Ganegedara was from Sri Lanka but lived in Padua.
Fire brigade divers finally found his body on Monday (15 Jul) morning, after searches resumed.
Like Cristoiu, he was found four metres deep, not far from where the arm wrestler’s body was found.
Veneto region president, Luca Zaia wrote on social media: “I express my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of both young men, and I honour Bogdan for his heroic attempt to save a life.”
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