22 Facts About Kamara James

Kamara Latoya James was an American Olympic epee fencer.

Kamara James's family moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York, when she was 10.

Kamara James was given a full fencing scholarship to The Dwight School, an independent college preparatory school.

Kamara James then attended Princeton University on a full academic scholarship.

Kamara James began fencing at age 11, through the Peter Westbrook Foundation.

Kamara James competed in the women's individual epee event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Kamara James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1984, into a single-parent household.

Kamara James's parents separated before she was born; she met her father only once during her childhood.

Kamara James' stepfather died of brain cancer two years later, in 1996.

Kamara James was given a full fencing scholarship to The Dwight School, an independent college preparatory school located on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where annual tuition was $28,000.

Kamara James then attended Princeton University on a full academic scholarship, majoring in religious studies.

Kamara James began fencing at age 11 during fifth grade, through the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which had been set up by American Olympic bronze medalist Peter Westbrook to offer fencing lessons to inner-city children in New York.

Kamara James gained a world ranking of 50 in epee, which earned her a place on the Olympic team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Kamara James competed in the 2004 Olympics as a 19-year-old, the only American in the women's individual epee event.

Kamara James was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her senior year at Princeton, when she had a breakdown and was hospitalized for three months.

Kamara James graduated in 2007 with a degree in religious studies.

Kamara James then was admitted into Harvard, to study for a master's degree in comparative religion.

Kamara James then participated in the opening of a fencing club in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Kamara James died at age 29, and was found September 20,2014, in her apartment in Modesto, California.

Kamara James's death was reported by the US Olympic team in mid-October 2014.

Kamara James's death was attributed to her difficulties with her schizophrenia and other mental difficulties.

Kamara James was buried in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York on October 25,2014.