Sussex Team GB athlete Robbie Fitzgibbon dies at the age of 28
The runner had represented Great Britain at the European Championships
British athlete Robbie Fitzgibbon has passed away suddenly at the age of 28.
The runner's athletics club confirmed the sportsperson's death on Friday (October 11th), who paid tribute to him as the "epitome of a runner's runner".
Brighton Phoenix, Fitzgibbon's club said in a statement: "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our most cherished athletes, Robbie Fitzgibbon.
"A friend to many, and a source of motivation for all who had the privilege of knowing him, Robbie was the epitome of a runner's runner, embodying everything we value at Phoenix.
"His contribution to Phoenix is enduring, living on through the countless memories we have shared."
The athletics star had an illustrious and bright career ahead of him, having already represented Great Britain at the European Championships.
Having started his athletics career at the age of 12, the sportsperson had reached a number of finals, and also competed in several Diamond League races.
However, Robbie admitted that he had struggled with mental health issues - after he was diagnosed with psychosis in 2022.
He had been aiming to raise money for mental health charity Mind by running in the Brighton Marathon next year.
In his appeal for donations, he wrote: "In 2022, I was diagnosed with a mental illness called psychosis and recovering from this has been a really difficult challenge, so I’m wanting to give back to Mind charity & help raise awareness and also raise some money to help support people who are in the same position I was in.
"I’ve always run from a young age starting in Primary school and competed for my secondary school and Sussex, which started my running journey and then joined my athletics club Brighton Phoenix when I was 13.
"Things progressed and I won the English Schools championships for Sussex when I was 18 years old over 1500m which kickstarted my athletics career and from there went onto compete for Great Britain multiple times with my best performance making the final at the European Indoor Championships and finishing 8th place but unfortunately not long after that I suffered a bad injury to my ankle which required surgery.
"I couldn’t get back to the same level of competition and that drove me over the edge mentally which spiralled into psychosis."
Robbie had initially been aiming for a target of ÂŁ1,500 for the charity, but following his death, this has skyrocketed to over ÂŁ8,500.
In honour of his son, Robbie's father Robin will now run the race in his place, according to the club.