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Friends pay tribute to student who died at gym

Contributed Mohammed Farraj pictured with two other men, whose faces are blurred. Some have their arms around each other and are facing the camera. Mr Farraj is on the left wearing a dark shirt, glasses hanging around his neck and is pointing up to the sky with his finger - a gesture also shared by the man in the centre.Contributed
Mohammed Farraj was found dead at the University of East Anglia's Sportspark gym

Tributes have been paid to a "kind" and "clever" medical student who died at a university campus gym.

Mohammed Farraj, 21, was declared dead at the University of East Anglia's (UEA) Sportspark in Norwich on Wednesday, 16 October.

An inquest heard the provisional cause of death was a traumatic head injury, sustained while he was in the gym.

Friends of Mr Farraj, who was from Stoke-on-Trent, described him as a "hard worker" who they were "proud" to have known.

Qays Najm/bbc Isaac Rodriguez is looking directly at the camera with a solemn expression. Behind him is a group of students conversing. Mr Rodriguez is wearing a navy University of East Anglia branded sweatshirt. It has the university logo on the top right and the letters IR on the top left. Mr Rodriguez has brown eyes and short brown hair with a slight curl in it. Qays Najm/bbc
Isaac Rodriguez remembered Mohammed Farraj as always being there to help people

Tributes to the 21-year-old, who students said had a "bright future," were laid outside the university sports park entrance.

One tribute from the medical school said: "You had the potential to make a great doctor... thinking of you, your family and friends."

Friend and president of UEA Boxing, Isaac Rodriguez, told the BBC that Mr Farraj was "by far the hardest worker in the gym".

"He... never gloated and was so compassionate, so kind and always there to help people."

Shivam Ruparelia added: "He was good at everything, the cleverest man.

"An amazing medical student - he had covered pretty much the whole of our medical course in the first year.

"He was committed; we are all very proud to have been his friend."

Qays Najm/BBC Noordin Jamal on the left and Sharief Younis stood to his right. Both men are looking at the camera with solemn expressions and behind them is a crowd of other students engaged in a conversation. Noordin Jamal wears a navy jacket with a beige shirt underneath and has thin rectangle framed glasses. Sharief Younis is wearing a dark green hoodie.Qays Najm/BBC
Noordin Jamal and Sharief Younis hope to honour the memory of their friend

The UEA's Islamic Society said out of love for Mr Farraj it would raise money to support a water project in his name.

Sharief Younis and Noordin Jamal, who were housemates of Mr Farraj and fellow Islamic Society members, said the last few days had "been a blur".

"We are trying to make as many arrangements as we can... we can honour his memory and make sure people remember him as he deserves to be remembered," Mr Younis said.

The inquest into Mr Farraj's death was opened on Tuesday and adjourned until 21 February with the coroner requesting information from the student's father, GP and the police.

The gym, which was closed in the aftermath of Mr Farraj's death, has reopened.

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