The collegiate gymnastics community has lost a rising star.
Temple University student Tyler Sabapathy died Jan. 28 after falling from a light pole while celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles earning their spot at the 2025 Super Bowl, a source confirmed to NBC10. He was 18.
Temple University President John Fry also expressed his grief, sharing that the Toronto native died after sustaining critical injuries.
"The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic," he wrote. "There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler's family, friends, classmates and all who knew and loved him."
The open letter also shared insight into the freshman's life at the school, including his major in exercise and sports science, as well as his accolades as an athlete.
"As an accomplished gymnast with more than 120 medals in provincial, regional and international competitions, Tyler was fascinated with injury prevention, and this ultimately led him to pursue the major that he did," the statement said. "He no doubt had a bright future ahead of him, and it is so tragic that we will not be able to see how he would have made his mark on the world."
"As a member of the university's club gymnastics team, Tyler displayed exceptional self-discipline and work ethic, spending countless hours a week training and honing his craft," he continued. "He was loved by his teammates, friends and coaches here in Philadelphia."
E! News has reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department and Sabapathy's family for comment and has not heard back.
For Philadelphia sports fans, climbing light poles after major wins has become an unofficial tradition. While the city's police department didn't confirm whether the poles were greased this year, the city has previously done so to deter fans from climbing.
Ahead of the Jan. 26 game against the Washington Commanders, the city's Managing Director Adam Thiel had a message for potential climbers.
"Don't climb the poles, greased or not greased," he told Fox29 in a statement, "please don't climb the poles because you could break the poles and that's expensive, and it's money we could spend on other things."
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