The mysterious and tragic death of teenage volleyball sensation Julia Ituma

On April 13, 2023, the world of volleyball was dealt a tragic blow when Julia Ituma – the 18-year-old star of the Italian junior international side – was found dead outside the Volley Hotel in Istanbul after an apparent fall from her sixth-floor apartment.

"My daughter was so strong. I can’t believe she would want to jump out of a window," her mother Elizabeth Udeokereke said, as reported by La Repubblica. "Is it possible that her roommate didn't hear anything? I haven't been able to cry yet", Julia's mother continued, incredulous about what happened and furious over the reports stating that her daughter took her own life.

The young athlete, who was the top player of the Italian junior volleyball team, was away with her team, Igor Gorgonzola Novara, for the return semi-final of the Champions League.

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During the last phone call with her mother she seemed dejected at the loss: "She said to me: mum, we lost. I scored two points, but the team was terrible," Elizabeth said, according to La Repubblica.

Photo: Instagram @igor_volley

But this was no cause for concern, as the player's mother has maintained that, despite the frustration over the loss, Julia was "strong, as always. She was a very strong girl, and not just on the pitch. At 17 she was in Serie A, when many of her teammates are still in C."

Elizabeth Udeokereke has disputed the report from police, which states that Julia Ituma jumped from the sixth floor of the hotel where she was staying in Turkey.

On the evening of the events, the hotel cameras filmed the young player as she walked in a corridor and conversed on her cell phone between 10.30 and 11.50 pm, according to the Corriere.

She was found lifeless outside the hotel at 5.30 in the morning, after having fallen from the sixth floor of the building.

Her Igor Gorgonzola Novara teammates were understandably shaken by the tragedy and were seen despondent as they awaited boarding for their flight home to Italy.

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Less than a week later, on 19 April, her teammates, friends and family all joined together to honor Julia's memory at her funeral in Milan. Her mother adorned her coffin with her team jersey, as reported by Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency.

Despite the Istanbul police running investigations into the case, there was no evidence to suggest any foul play. While the case may be closed, there are still a lot of unanswered questions remaining for Julia's family.

Follown her death, tributes poured in from those in the volleyball community and wider world. Among these also Mauro Berruto (in the photo), volleyball coach as well as politician, who wanted to remember her in the chamber of deputies as follows: "I have no words, she was a hope for Italian volleyball".

Photo: Wikipedia

"I'll see you again in every jump, one of those that leave you speechless, I'll see you again in every roar after a dunk, I'll always see you next to me in reception, my goodness what a disaster your reception. I'll see you again in every movie we've seen together. I will see you again in your favorite Thegiornalisti album, just the one I hated. You were my thorn in my side and always will be," the words of Stella Nervini, a former teammate of the national youth teams, reported by Eurosport.

Of course, the possibility that Julia Ituma took her own life leaves room for a lot of questions about the issues athletes who compete at the highest levels face, especially those as young as she is.

Julia Ituma had a big dream, to become a top-level volleyball player, and she was on the right track to achieve it. Born in Milan in 2004 to Nigerian parents, she arrived at Igor Novara after spending three years at Club Italia, the federal team that competes in the A2 league championship.

Photo: Instagram @julia.ituma

At 15, she was 192 cm tall, an age at which she was already able to jump 3.35 meters – a height impossible to reach even for top-level players. She played the role of opposite, after an initial phase as a spiker: the young player was now considered by many to be the next opposite for the senior national team.

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