Double Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier has tragically died in a mountaineering accident on Pakistan’s Laila Peak, her management team and the German Olympic Sports Confederation confirmed to CNN Sports.
The 31-year-old retired biathlete was struck by falling rocks during a climb in the Karakoram mountain range around midday local time on Monday.
Dahlmeier’s team shared the devastating news via Instagram on Tuesday, revealing the challenges faced during rescue efforts. “Due to low visibility and bad weather, the rescue operation had been unable to deploy its military helicopters,” said Faizullah Faraq, spokesman for Gilgit-Baltistan’s regional government, according to the Associated Press. The remote location meant a rescue helicopter only reached the accident site for observation on Tuesday morning.
The German sporting community expressed profound grief over the loss. DOSB President Thomas Weikert stated: “The DOSB and the whole of German sport mourn the loss of Laura Dahlmeier. 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.”
Weikert highlighted Dahlmeier’s inspirational legacy: “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.”
The accident occurred during an expedition with climbing partner Marina Eva, who activated a distress signal prompting the rescue mission. Dahlmeier, who retired from biathlon in 2019, had transitioned to mountaineering with the same determination that made her a seven-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist (PyeongChang 2018).
