The 2025 Cholula Games took place on May 2-4 in Puebla, Mexico, and was supposed to be a fun and exciting CrossFit event, gathering a number of athletes and fans of the sport. Unfortunately, a tragic event occurred, as one competitor, Nayeli Clemente, suffered a medical emergency and ended up losing her life.
The tragedy struck during the very first event of the competition, the “Team Pyramid Run”, where Clemente suffered cardiorespiratory failure. Nayeli received medical care from one of the fans in attendance who turned out to be a doctor. She was then transferred to the hospital but later passed away.
As reported by The Barbell Spin, Nayeli Clemente’s team issued a statement about the lack of appropriate reaction from the event organizers and medical staff that was brought in to oversee the competition. They pointed out that the quantity of the medical staff was not proportionate to the size of the competition, while the equipment and preparation that they used were also below the standard.
“During the day of Friday, May 2, at the Cholula Games competition, held in San Andrés Cholula, Puebla, the N.C. team suffered a demise due to lack of oxygen, which lamentably led to a cardiorespiratory failure.
At a critical moment, where every second counted, the medical staff contracted by the event organizers did not respond to the preparation or the necessary resources:
- Attention was extremely slow and disorganized
- The number of paramedics and ambulances was insufficient for the magnitude of the event and there was no rapid access to the pyramid.
- We would not use the basic equipment, such as correctly discharging a camilla.
- The breathing/oxygen machine in the ambulance was not connected at the time of being requested in the emergency.”
“The most worrying thing is that, while all this was happening, the event continued unabated, without the organizers issuing a single statement, without showing any interest in the affected athlete for a few hours after being in medical emergencies.
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We have made a call to the Cholula Games officials to report on the obvious lack of adequate medical protocols for this level
of competition,” wrote Nayeli Clemente’s team.
While there was hope that the tragic scenario could be avoided, based on the spectator’s quick reaction and Nayeli Clemente’s transfer to the hospital, that sadly did not turn out to be the case. Instead, sometime after the incident, Nayeli’s brother turned to Instagram and revealed that she had passed away.
Nayeli Clemente’s passing comes not even a year after the tragic incident that happened at the 2024 CrossFit Games. Specifically, one of the competitors, Lazar Đukić, drowned during one of the events, which shook up the entire community. The recent case of Nayeli once again reiterates the importance of implementing extensive safety measures when it comes to competitions.
It is important to note that the 2025 Cholula Games were not directly organized by CrossFit, but instead by a licensed third party. So, as a part of CrossFit’s regulations, those who acquired the license as a third party are responsible for the health and safety of the athletes, among other things.
“Licensee is responsible for all areas of the competition inclusive of health and safety, qualifying standards, setup, rankings, prizes, and funding.”
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FitnessVolt extends our condolences to family, friends, and all those who are mourning the death of Nayeli Clemente. Her memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew and cherished her. May she rest in peace.
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