The captain of the New Zealand men's netball team choked to death while eating dinner with his wife at home, according to local media reports Wednesday.
Mike Siave, 35, suddenly collapsed to the floor, unable to breathe, as he dined with wife Amanda at their home on the outskirts of Christchurch, the New Zealand Herald reported.
His wife, herself a highly regarded netball player with the Canterbury Flames, performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, but Siave died at the scene.
Amanda Siave told The Press the coroner had determined her husband died from asphyxiation after choking on food.
New Zealand Men's Netball Association president David Pala'amo said the netball community was still reeling at the news, and Siave's death was a "huge blow."
Siave toured Australia with the national team in late October.
A sales manager with New Zealand telco Telecom, Siave had been married for 10 years and the couple had two sons -- Jackson, seven, and Cooper, five. His funeral will be held Friday.
