Karina Pritika, 23, a former rhythmic gymnast, was murdered while attending the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.
Born in Portugal, Pritika began training at age of four at the Maccabi Petah Tikva gymnastic club under trainer Natasha Asmolov. She went on to success in national competitions and was a member of Israel’s national team for international events.
“She was a decent girl, always smiling,” Asmolov told the Israel Hayom outlet.
Karina, she said, had “discipline and a work ethic, excellent at everything, diligent.”
Fellow gymnast Nicole Szymanski, who trained with Karina as a child, told the outlet that her friend was “a girl who spread light every where, always smiling, laughing, optimistic.” She was someone who “shines only light on the people around her.”