Former volleyball player Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado, better known simply as Isabel, one of the icons of Brazilian sport, passed away at the age of 62 on the morning of Wednesday, October 16, at the Sírio Libanês Hospital in São Paulo.
The death was confirmed by film producer Paula Barreto in a message in the group Esporte Pela Democracia. “I had a call with her on Monday. She was really sick with the flu. I told her to go to a hospital; she told me she had already been and tested negative for Covid. On Monday night, she went to sleep and felt unwell. She decided to go to the Sírio hospital on Tuesday morning. When she woke up on Tuesday, she was already much worse. She was admitted to Sírio in the ICU. They detected a bacteria that had already taken over her lungs. She was intubated and had a cardiac arrest at 4 AM today,” wrote Paula.
The former athlete of the Brazilian national team in two Olympics – Moscow (1980) and Los Angeles (1984) – was set to join the technical sports group of the transition government of elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) expressed its condolences to Isabel’s family and friends on social media. “COB expresses its deepest sorrow over the passing of Isabel Salgado at the age of 62, one of the most important and talented Brazilian volleyball players 
.”
Isabel was marked by her leadership both on and off the court. The attacker started playing volleyball at the age of 12 and debuted for Flamengo a year later. She played for several Brazilian clubs and became the first player to play abroad: she defended Módena (Italy) and clubs in Japan. In addition to participating in two editions of the Olympic Games, Isabel also competed in the Pan American Games in San Juan (1979) – where she won bronze – and Caracas (1983). After retiring from the courts, the carioca transitioned to beach volleyball in 1996, forming a successful duo with Jackie Silva and later with Roseli. In recent years, Isabel served as a coach for her daughters Maria Clara and Carol Solberg. Isabel leaves behind five children and five grandchildren.
Source: Agência Brasil