A former Olympian died unexpectedly, with her death being discovered in the most horrific manner.
Helen Smart, who was Helen Don-Duncan when she swam in the 2000 Olympics, died over the weekend.
Her death was realized when her four-year-old little girl tried to get into bed with her and found her unresponsive, reported the New York Post.
She's Gone
Smart was reportedly on a family vacation at the time, having been out paddleboarding only hours before her daughter found her.
Her daughter Heide tried to get into bed with her, then told her father, "Daddy, I can't wake mommy up."
Her husband, Craig Smart, just figured his wife was wiped out from the paddleboarding trip, telling his daughter, "Oh she must be very tired Heidi - you go back to bed."
When her husband looked in on her later, he realized she was, in fact, dead.
Smart's mother, Linda, stated, "We are just in so much shock. You jump from believing it to not believing it.
"'She had been paddle boarding a few hours before and had never even been ill apart from her knees swelling from swimming.
"We're distraught. They don't know what it is but they think it must have happened shortly after she went to bed. She just died in her sleep," reported the Daily Mail.
Her death is now a complete mystery, as there are videos of her during her paddleboard trip, where she seemed perfectly healthy.
Even that night, when she went to bed, she told her mom she was tired and she needed to get some sleep because she knew her daughter would be in there first thing to wake her up.
Post Olympics, Smart had focused her life on education. Her husband stated, "I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this! I hope you all keep learning like champions.
"Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets, take lots of photos, make memories, and keep smiling just like Helen always did!"
Smart had racked up the medals her entire career, but she did fall short during the Olympics. It was just one of those days, as she finished 15th in the 200M backstroke, an event she had dominated to that point.
Rest in peace.
