Thursday, July 31, 2025 - German biathlete and double Olympic champion, Laura Dahlmeier, has d!ed at the age of 31 following a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management team confirmed.
Dahlmeier won two gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics,
becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at
the same Games.
She retired from biathlon in 2019, aged 25, and was climbing
with her mountaineering partner in the northern mountain range in the
Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan.
Dahlmeier was hit by a sudden rockfall on
Monday while attempting to summit the 6,094-metre Laila Peak, and two
teams of expert climbers from Germany and the United States were deployed to
try and find her.
A helicopter conducted a search operation on Tuesday evening
but found no signs of life, a government spokesperson said, while poor weather
conditions prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the site.
Two rescue teams have confirmed she is dead and the German
Olympic Sports Confederation expressed deep sorrow at the news.
"She was more than an Olympic champion - she was
someone with heart, attitude, and vision," it said in a statement on X.
Dahlmeier, who was born in the Bavarian ski town
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was also honoured by the premier of her home state,
Markus Soeder.
"Laura Dahlmeier epitomised her native Bavaria in the
best sense of the word: she was ambitious and successful, yet always remained
humble and close to her homeland," he said in a statement.
"Even after her active career, she shared her love of
sport as a winter sports expert, member of the mountain rescue service and ski
guide.”
The president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty
Coventry, also paid tribute to Dahlmeier, saying: “The news about the passing
of two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier in a terrible
mountaineering accident is deeply shocking for all of us in the Olympic
movement. She lost her life in her beloved mountains.
"Laura made history at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter
Olympics as the first female biathlete to win sprint and pursuit gold at the
same Games edition. She will be remembered forever. Our thoughts are with her
family and friends at this very difficult time.”
Dahlmeier had reportedly climbed the 6,287-metre Great
Trango Tower on 8 July and was aiming reach the summit of the Laila Peak next.
Dahlmeier’s climbing partner was named as Marina Eva Krauss, who successfully
descended to the base camp and was reported to be in good health.
0 Comments