Cameron Burrell, a former University of Houston track star who won the 100-meter national championship in 2018, died Monday. He was 26.

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No cause of death has been released, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Burrell’s father, Leroy Burrell, was his coach at Houston and was an NCAA champion in 1990. His mother is former Olympic sprinter Michelle Finn-Burrell, the Chronicle reported.

Burrell is the godson of track legend Carl Lewis, who won nine gold medals during his Olympic career.

A track star at the University of Houston from 2013 to 2018, Burrell won the 2018 NCAA national championship in the 100 meters in Eugene, Oregon, KPRC reported. That matched the achievement of his father 28 years ago.

In 2018, Cameron Burrell also ran the anchor leg for Houston’s 4x100-meter relay team as the Cougars defended their national championship in the event, the television station reported.

“My family is extremely saddened with the loss of our son, Cameron, last night,” Leroy Burrell said in a statement. “We are going through profound sorrow and ask that all of our friends, extended University of Houston family and the track and field community in the U.S. and abroad allow us to gather with our closest family and friends.

“We are profoundly grief-stricken, and thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and support.”

After college, Cameron Burrell helped the United States 4x100-meter relay team win gold at the World Junior Championships in 2012 and silver at the 2019 World Relays, People reported. He also competed in the USA Track & Field Grand Prix in April, finishing ninth in the final of the 100-meter race, the Chronicle reported.

“Words cannot express how we feel for Leroy, Michelle and their family. Cameron grew up around the Houston Athletics Department, worked hard and developed himself into one of our greatest Track and Field stars,” Chris Pezman, the University of Houston’s vice president for athletics, said in a statement. “To lose him so suddenly is tragic. We ask all University of Houston and track and field fans to keep Coach Burrell and his family in their thoughts and prayers.”

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