Toronto college student, 18, dies while celebrating Philadelphia Eagles win

An 18-year-old college student from Toronto has died from injuries sustained after falling from a street pole while celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFC Championship victory over the weekend.

Philadelphia’s Temple University announced the death of Tyler Sabapathy, 18, in a statement posted Tuesday night on the school’s website.

A Toronto native, Sabapathy was an accomplished gymnast who was a freshman studying in the school’s College of Public Health, majoring in exercise and sport science.

“The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic. There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler’s family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved him,” the school’s statement read in part.

Witnesses have said Sabapathy climbed to the top of the pole before he fell onto the sidewalk and struck his head. He was taken to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday.

The statement said that Sabapathy had been active in gymnastics for most of his life and earned more than 120 medals in provincial, regional, and international competitions. He also was active with Temple’s gymnastics team.

“As a member of the university’s club gymnastics team, Tyler displayed exceptional self-discipline and work ethic, spending countless hours a week training and honing his craft. He was loved by his teammates, friends and coaches here in Philadelphia,” the school said.

The university is offering grief counselling for students and staff who need it in the wake of Sabapathy’s death.

“We extend our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to those closest to Tyler, especially his parents and siblings. He will be deeply missed.”

St. Michael’s College School in Toronto says Sabapathy, who graduated from the school last year, was “an exceptional student-athlete, a talented gymnast, and a friend to many within the SMCS community.”

“His joy for life, spirit, and outstanding pursuit of excellence inspired us all,” the school said in a statement, adding his death has left the community “heartbroken.”

The school said it would continue to honour Sabapathy’s memory and offer support to its community in the days to come.

The teen previously said he decided to study exercise and sports science because of what he experienced in his training as an athlete.

“After sustaining many injuries throughout my career, I have begun to understand the human body in a new way. Throughout my training, I have learned about the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that are important for proper movement,” he said in a post on St. Michael’s website announcing his choice of university.

At the time, Sabapathy said he planned to compete in five gymnastics events at Temple.

He grew up training and competing with the East York Gymnastics Club in Toronto, training for 20 hours a week for the better part of a decade, he said in the statement.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press

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