US Olympic fencer Kamara James passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 29 in Modesto, California. According to The Grio, her first Olympics was the 2004 Athens game when she was 19 years old. She also won bronze at the Junior World Championships in 2003, and was a member of the Senior National Team since she was 16 years old.

There is currently no reported explanation for her death, but a post by Eric Rosenberg on the website "Fencing.net" recalls that she experienced some mental health challenges. The post reads as follows: "Unfortunately, mental illness proved Kamara's most unrelenting adversary. Still, just prior to her death, she had resumed a stable drug regimen, was living comfortably and had begun thinking about the future."

US Fencing reports that James moved to Queens, New York, at the age of 10. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, James had a hard time transitioning to her new life. However, she was soon able to find her footing, and her outstanding high school grades and test scores secured her a scholarship to Princeton.

2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Keeth Smart recalled, "Most people can't book their own plane tickets at that age, and she created a budget for two full seasons. She made up her mind, knew she wanted to do this and that was it. She reached out to donors with a business plan and what her short term and long-term goals were as well as what the return on investment would be. She was really grounded in terms of knowing how to take the steps she would need to reach any goal," conveying how hard-working and diligent James was.

 After the Athens games, James took a break from fencing in order to return to Princeton and earn a degree in religious studies. She then earned admission into Harvard to pursue a master's degree is comparative religion.

USA Fencing President Donald K. Anthony Jr. stated, "Kamara's untimely passing leaves our fencing community very saddened, and her spirit, charm and wit will be dearly missed."