Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier dies at 31 in Pakistan mountain climbing accident
The German biathlete was struck by falling rocks in northern Pakistan in the Karakoram mountains.
Early rescue efforts were made to locate Dahlmeier but were unsuccessful due to inclement weather and further risks of falling rocks - the remote location of the incident made efforts that much more difficult.
"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," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in a statement.
"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."
According to Dahlmeier's management, the accident took place at an altitude of nearly 19,000 feet.
A Pakistani government spokesperson said she "was taken away by locals from the landslide site," per Reuters.
Dahlmeier surprisingly stepped away from professional competition in 2019. She cited the diminishing of her overall passion for playing sports in her retirement announcement.
"After an unbelievably tough season with lots of highs and lows, I no longer feel the 100 percent passion that is needed for professional sports. This is why, after some long thought, I decided to end my active biathlon career," Dahlmeier said in 2019, at the age of 25.
She earned gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she made history as the first female biathlete to win a sprint and pursuit double at the same Games. She also won seven world championships.
Dahlmeier is also an Olympic bronze medalist. She finished in third place in the 15km individual event at the 2018 Games.
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