Denisa Barankova, a two-time Olympic archer, passed away on Monday after being struck by a car in her home country of Slovakia.
She was just 24 years old.
Reports indicate that a 42-year-old man driving a BMW X5 hit Barankova in Petržalka, Bratislava. Another individual, an 11-year-old girl, was also injured but survived the incident, suffering injuries to her chest and head.
Authorities in Slovakia are looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“While navigating a parking lot near a residential building, the driver, for reasons still unclear, lost focus and collided with a parked vehicle. He then veered onto the grass, where he struck two individuals,” a spokesman for the Bratislava police stated.
Barankova represented Slovakia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was also set to compete in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Although she didn’t secure medals at these events, she made history by becoming the first Slovak archer to win a medal at the 2021 European Championships, where she took third place.
This achievement allowed her to qualify as the first Slovak archer for the World Championships.
In 2025, she went on to win gold at the World Games in Chengdu, China.
The World Games organization released a statement honoring her as “one of archery’s brightest talents.”
“The International World Games Association is profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of Denisa Harban Barankova, a field archery gold medalist, at the 2025 Chengdu World Games,” the statement read.
It highlighted her embodiment of the World Games values of “excellence, passion, and dedication.”
“The sudden and tragic nature of her death has left the sports community in shock and sorrow,” the statement continued. “Our sincerest condolences go out to her husband, family, teammates, and all who were fortunate enough to know her.”
