Cuban Leydis Oquendo

Havana, October 6 (PL)-- The president of the Cuban Basketball Federation, Dalia Henry, lamented the death of her compatriot Leydis Oquendo, an active member of the island's national team.

"The Cuban basketball family is very saddened. Oquendo was a very charismatic athlete, dedicated and willing to give her best on the courts," said Dalia in an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina.

The sudden death of the outstanding 40-year-old player occurred in El Salvador due to complications associated with a recent operation she underwent to remove a fibroid, specifically a postoperative pulmonary thrombosis.

"This news fills us with sorrow and we offer our deepest condolences to all her family and friends, and to all those who loved this extraordinary Cuban athlete during her lifetime," Henry added.

Born in the central-eastern province of Camagüey, Oquendo recently finished her participation in the professional league of that Central American country, where she was the top scorer in the most recent campaign.

The Camagüey native was part of the Cuban national team at the 2006 and 2014 World Cups, among other competitions, and also had excellent results in the Argentine and Dominican Republic leagues.

Her former teammate Marlene Cepeda wrote on her social networks that she was not prepared for "such a hard blow".

"I still don't believe this news for being so young," said her teammate Marlene Cepeda.