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Khaleej Times
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Authorities abandon recovery of German Olympian killed in Pakistan
Authorities have abandoned efforts to recover the body of German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan this week. Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range. Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to "dangerous" conditions at the site, Dahlmeier's management agency said Thursday. In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would "continue to monitor the situation... and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date". Several of Dahlmeier's colleages confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk. German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team who had attempted a rescue but told reporters on Thursday, "We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish." Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell told AFP it would be "disrespectful" to recover her body contrary to her wishes. Marvell said "the recovery of Laura's body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter". Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall. "I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn't move again," Krauss told reporters. Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support. "It was impossible for me to get there safely. It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn't move, she didn't show any signs (of movement). I called out to her, but there was no response. She only had a chance if help arrived immediately," she said. Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.
Al Jazeera
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Laura Dahlmeier: Recovery of Olympian killed in Pakistan abandoned
Authorities have abandoned efforts to recover the body of German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan this week. Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range. Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to 'dangerous' conditions at the site, Dahlmeier's management agency said Thursday. In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would 'continue to monitor the situation … and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date'. Several of Dahlmeier's colleagues confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk. German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team that had attempted a rescue, but told reporters on Thursday, 'We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish.' Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell, told AFP it would be 'disrespectful' to recover her body contrary to her wishes. Marvell said, 'The recovery of Laura's body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter.' Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday that the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall. 'I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn't move again,' Krauss told reporters. Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support. 'It was impossible for me to get there safely,' she said. 'It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn't move, she didn't show any signs [of movement]. I called out to her, but there was no response. 'She only had a chance if help arrived immediately.' Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.
France 24
31-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Authorities abandon recovery of German Olympian killed in Pakistan
Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range. Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to "dangerous" conditions at the site, Dahlmeier's management agency said Thursday. In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would "continue to monitor the situation... and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date". Several of Dahlmeier's colleages confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk. German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team who had attempted a rescue but told reporters on Thursday: "We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish." Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell told AFP it would be "disrespectful" to recover her body contrary to her wishes. Marvell said "the recovery of Laura's body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter". Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall. "I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn't move again," Krauss told reporters. Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support. "It was impossible for me to get there safely. "It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn't move, she didn't show any signs (of movement). I called out to her, but there was no response." "She only had a chance if help arrived immediately," she said. Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.
New York Times
30-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Laura Dahlmeier, Gold Medal-Winning German Biathlete, Dies in Rockfall
Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning German biathlete, died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan on Monday. She was 31. Her death was reported by ZDF, a German broadcaster that had employed her as an expert biathlon commentator, and confirmed by Pakistani officials. The accident occurred around noon on Monday, at an altitude of about 18,000 feet at Laila Peak in the Karakoram Mountains in the Hushe Valley region of northeast Pakistan, said Karrar Haidri, an official at the Alpine Club of Pakistan, a group that promotes mountaineering. Faizullah Firaq, a spokesman for the regional government of Gilgit-Baltistan, confirmed the death. Ms. Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer who had been climbing in the area since June, was hit by falling rocks. Along with a partner, she had been aiming to reach Laila's summit. The climbing partner, Marina Krauss, escaped unharmed and alerted the authorities. 'She managed to send a distress signal and successfully descended to base camp,' Mr. Haidri said. A helicopter, initially delayed by rain and winds, surveyed the scene. 'No signs of life were observed on Laila Peak during the aerial search, partly due to poor weather conditions,' Mr. Firaq said in an interview. Rescuers were at first hampered by the site's remoteness and the danger of further rockfalls. A multinational team of six with the support of the Pakistani military began a joint operation on Wednesday to reach Ms. Dahlmeier. They reached the location of the body and visually confirmed her identity, Mr. Firaq said. 'Efforts are currently underway to retrieve it and transport it back to base camp,' he said. Ms. Dahlmeier won the sprint and pursuit events in biathlon at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and added a bronze in the individual event. In Germany, she had helped boost the popularity of the biathlon, a cross-country ski race in which participants also shoot at targets. She won five gold medals at the 2017 world championships in Hochfilzen, Austria, among a total of seven in her career. But she left the sport in 2019 at age 25, saying, 'I no longer feel the 100 percent passion that is needed for professional sports.' In retirement, in addition to mountain climbing, she participated in mountain-running races. 'Laura Dahlmeier was an exceptional athlete whose international successes in biathlon fascinated and thrilled not only winter sports fans,' Germany's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said in a statement. 'I was fortunate enough to be there as a spectator when she won her first Olympic gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. Back then in Pyeongchang, she impressed not only with her athletic performance and nerves of steel, but also with her personality, with her likable, open and passionate manner.'
