Olympic Fencer Kamara James Dead At 29: Diagnosed with Schizophrenia

News is just now surfacing over the death of Olympic Fencer, Kamara James. On Sept. 20, 2014, James was found dead in her apartment. The cause of death has still not been determined, however, suicide and foul play have been ruled out.

The Olympian, who was featured in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, began fencing at age 11 and was given a full scholarship to The Dwight School – an independent college preparatory school where she then attended Princeton University on a full academic scholarship.

As People reports, longtime friend Jean Goto revealed, "She had a spirit about her, and energy about her. She was really driven, really motivated, really focused." However, this all changed her senior year at Princeton when the religion major was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

One-time trainer and friend of almost 20 years, Eric Rosenberg, explained that despite her diagnosis the Olympian was, "...incredibly brilliant and a hard, diligent worker. She had a very facile mind, was a quick study, asked the right questions, had a very strong presence."

Rosenberg goes on to explain that her diagnosis caused a three-month stay in a hospital, however James managed to write her thesis and graduate on time. 

After graduation, James and Groto opened a fencing club in Greenwich, Connecticut where her dreams were just beginning. "She had dreams: She was interested in acting and writing." But that all seemed to dwindle slowly as the disease crept in. Her friends would find her roaming the streets, being admitted to treatment on and off, ending up homeless and staying in halfway houses.

"She was beaten up. She lacked a lot of energy she had. She was emaciated, unkempt, wearing filthy clothes." Rosenberg revealed.

With that, there was no support for her, according to Groto, "She would go into hospitals, get better or get more medication, then she would be released and there was no support for her."

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects approximately one out of every 100 people worldwide. According to Harvard.edu the disease is accompanied by hallucinations, paranoia, and a breakdown of thought processes. It often emerges in the teens and early 20's.