Olympic canoeing hopeful, 16, dies by drowning after being struck by lightning during training session on lake

OLYMPIC hopeful Bogdan Saliwon has passed away after being struck by lightning.

The 16-year-old canoeist was training at a lake when the shocking incident occurred.

Newsflash

Bogdan Saliwon was hit by lightening and passed away[/caption]

Saliwon and four pals were out practising at the Kamyyansk reservoir in Ukraine on November 1.

The group were heading back to shore when a bolt of lightening hit the teenager and he fell into the water.

After a huge search, his body was found in the lake and police believe he died as a result of drowning.

Saliwon was one of Ukraine’s top prospects and he dreamed of winning gold at the Olympics.

He had already won several national competitions and was part of the country’s youth canoeing team.

Ukraine won a silver and bronze medal in the sport at the last Games in 2021.

Cops are now reportedly launching an investigation into whether the group’s training session was left unsupervised.

A statement from the Canoe Federation of Ukraine gave their condolences to friends and family.

It explained at the funeral: “People spoke with great regret and sadness about Bogdan’s death as a painful loss for his family and all who knew him.

“They spoke about the life and achievements of the young athlete, his dreams of Olympic podiums, which will now unfortunately never come true.”