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Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has died at the age of 31. The retired German biathlete perished in a climbing accident in Pakistan, as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) confirmed to CNN Sports.
Dahlmeier had been climbing Pakistan’s Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range when she was struck by falling rocks around noon on Monday, her team announced in a statement on Dahlmeier’s Instagram account. Her climbing partner, Marina Eva, sent out a distress signal and attempted to rescue her for several hours, but was unable to because of the terrain and continued rockfall. “[Eva], who could no longer hear any signs of life, eventually decided to leave the danger zone and resume her descent,” explained her team.
The incident occurred at an altitude of about 18,700 feet. The remoteness of the location, combined with difficult weather conditions, complicated rescue efforts. Rescuers were unable to deploy military helicopters due to low visibility and bad weather, as Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government, explained to the Associated Press. According to CNN, they were finally able to reach the scene of the accident and observe her Tuesday morning. Other climbers have also attempted to join the rescue effort, by attempting the same ascent that Dahlmeier took.
Before the excursion, Dahlmeier had expressly requested that, if such a situation would occur, that no one should risk their life in order to recover her, according to her management.
Dahlmeier was a decorated biathlete. She made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics when she became the first female biathlete to win gold in both the sprint and pursuit events at the same Winter Games. A year earlier, she became the first biathlete to win five gold medals at a single world championship. In 2019, she retired from the sport at the age of 25.
“The DOSB and the whole of German sport mourn the loss of Laura Dahlmeier,” Thomas Weikert, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, said in a statement to CNN Sports. “We are deeply shocked by the sudden and much too early death of this wonderful person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends and we will offer our support wherever we can.
“Laura was a role model and inspiration to so many of us in and out of sport. She always had clear goals in mind and pursued her dreams.”
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