AN INQUEST has been opened into the death of an amateur kickboxer who died after a blow to the head during a bout.

Salisbury's Saeideh Aletaha, 26, was rushed to hospital after suffering a brain injury and collapsing during the Fast and Furious Fight Series event at Southampton's Central Hall on November 16.

The inquest opened by coroner Jason Pegg was told that the 26-year-old died the following day on November 17.

A post mortem has given a preliminary cause of death as acute right sided subdural haematoma.

Investigations into the death are ongoing and a full inquest is expected to take place on July 22.

Following her death tributes were paid to Ms Aletaha, of Lower Road, Salisbury, who worked as a product design engineer at Hampshire-based firm Stannah Stairlifts.

Her manager, Andreas Szentistvany, said: “Saeideh was a kind, generous and talented designer full of life and passion in everything she did.

“She brought great warmth and fun to us all, her loss will be profoundly felt by her many friends and colleagues at Stannah, which has lost a genuine young talent.”

Ms Aletaha’s kickboxing team, Lookbari Gym, based at Exile Gym in Shirley, also paid tribute in a joint statement with Exile.

They said: “Saeideh was a lovely character with a beautiful soul.

“She found her place with us just a few months ago but has become apart of the family and will be sorely missed.”

A friend and teammate of Ms Aletaha described her on Facebook as someone who “brought joy to all who crossed her path”, while Stonehenge CrossFit, where she had been a member for three years, described her as “popular, kind and liked by everyone in the community”.

Organisers Fast and Furious Fight Series said it had organised full medical cover throughout the evening, with a doctor, paramedic and ambulance on site.