Double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has died in a climbing accident aged 31, her management and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) confirmed to CNN Sports.
The retired German biathlete was struck by falling rocks at around midday local time on Monday while climbing Pakistan’s Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range, her team said on Instagram Tuesday.
“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.”
A rescue operation began on Monday after Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, sent out a distress signal.
But due to low visibility and bad weather, the rescue operation had been unable to deploy its military helicopters, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government, per the Associated Press.
Dahlmeier’s team also said that the remoteness of the area meant that a rescue helicopter was only able to reach the scene of the accident and observe her on Tuesday morning.
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