TAekwondo WORLD CHAMPION, 19, DIES UNEXPECTEDLY IN HER SLEEP — SHE HAD “SO MUCH MORE TO GIVE”

Isabelle Sava was only 19.

She was a promising law student, an accomplished taekwondo athlete and a young woman with years of dreams ahead of her.

But on August 17, her life came to a devastatingly unexpected end after she suffered a cardiac arrest in her sleep.

Emergency crews, including ambulance and air ambulance teams, attempted to resuscitate her, but Isabelle could not be saved. A family friend described her passing as “completely unexpected.”

A FUTURE LAWYER WITH BIG DREAMS

Isabelle was preparing to begin her second year studying law at Queen Mary University of London.

She hoped to become a lawyer and was deeply involved in university life, including the Law Society, Commercial Awareness Society and Student Advancement Society.

She also worked as a student blog writer for the Queen Mary Legal Advice Center.

Those who knew her described her as ambitious, focused and determined — someone who was already working hard to build the future she wanted.

MORE THAN A DECADE OF TAEKWONDO

Outside the classroom, Isabelle had dedicated more than 10 years to taekwondo.

She earned a second-degree black belt and eventually began competing internationally.

In 2022, she competed at the World Taekwondo Championships in the Netherlands and won a silver medal in sparring.

She also served as a Police Cadet and completed the Bronze and Silver levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

“SO MANY PLANS. SO MANY DREAMS.”

Isabelle was the only child of Laura and Ovi Sava.

A family friend, Adriana Agache, created a verified fundraiser to support her parents following their devastating loss.

Agache wrote that Isabelle had “so many plans, so many dreams, so much potential and so much more to give to this world.”

She described Isabelle as kind, loving, disciplined, compassionate and hardworking — emphasizing that her achievements were only one part of who she was.

A FAMILY LEFT WITHOUT THEIR ONLY CHILD

For Laura and Ovi, the loss is not simply the end of a promising career or an extraordinary sporting journey.

They have lost their only daughter.

The family had expected to watch Isabelle return to university, complete her law degree and begin the career she had worked so hard toward.

Instead, they are now facing a future without her.

The taekwondo community has also paid tribute to the young athlete, remembering her not only for her medal and black belt, but for the person she was away from competition.

Isabelle Sava was 19.

Her story was supposed to have many more chapters.

Now, her family and friends are left carrying the memories of a young woman whose life was filled with ambition, discipline, love and promise.