JET Ski champion Eric “The Eagle” Francis has been found dead in the water beside his high-speed undamaged watercraft after mysteriously vanishing during a race in Mexico on Saturday.
Sophie Francis, who is currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, is mourning the tragic loss along with their daughter, who is two years old, and the unborn child who is due in a few weeks.
Eric, who was 36, a racer who won the world championship five times. In 2016, his British wife, Sophie, who is 26, also won the world championship for women.
On the day of Eric’s untimely passing, he was competing in a race in Saint-Louis, Guadeloupe, where the water conditions were considered to be “moderate.”
His family, including his wife and child, came to the ceremony to show their support for him.
According to a story from The Watercraft Journal, a search party was dispatched to look for Eric when he failed to check in for the final stage of the competition.
He was found lifeless beside his undamaged jet ski.
The Watercraft Journal released a statement saying, “All of us at The Watercraft Journal are heartbroken to learn of the passing of world champion race, Eric ‘The Eagle’ Francis while participating in Guadalupe this weekend.
“Eric was a fierce competitor, a devoted father, a loving husband to Sophie, and one of the sport’s toughest chargers. He was also a great friend to a huge number of people. Godspeed, Eric.”
After winning four times in a row in the P1 AquaX, the largest watercraft competition in the world, Eric earned the moniker “The Eagle.”
Throughout his career, he had participated in various races in Guadeloupe.
According to social media post, Eric and Sophie got married in 2016 and have two children—Willow, who is two, and a baby on the way.
A GoFundMe was started to provide financial assistance to Eric’s family as Sophie is expecting their second child in weeks.
An investigation to ascertain the cause of death has been initiated.
