German two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management said Wednesday. She was 31.
The accident occurred around noon Monday, at an altitude of approximately 18,700 feet at Laila Peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said Tuesday.
Dahlmeier was climbing with her mountaineering partner when she was struck by a sudden rockfall in the Hushe Valley, part of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Poor weather conditions prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the site.
“Laura Dahlmeier died on 28 July in a mountain accident on Laila Peak (6,069 metres) in Pakistan’s Karakoram range,” her representatives told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper. “A recovery operation was launched but ultimately called off on the evening of 29 July.”
Local authorities launched the rescue mission Monday after receiving a distress signal from Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers Tuesday.
Dahlmeier won two gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics. She also won the 2017 women’s biathlon World Cup and retired from the sport in 2019 at the age of 25.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation expressed deep sorrow at the news.
“She was more than an Olympic champion – she was someone with heart, attitude and vision,” it said in a statement on X.
Dahlmeier, who was born in the Bavarian ski town Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was also honored by the premier of her home state, Markus Soeder.
“Laura Dahlmeier epitomised her native Bavaria in the best sense of the word: she was ambitious and successful, yet always remained humble and close to her homeland,” he said in a statement. “Even after her active career, she shared her love of sport as a winter sports expert, member of the mountain rescue service and ski guide.”
Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year, and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes.
The region has also been battered by above-normal seasonal rains, triggering flash floods and landslides. Since last week, at least 20 Pakistani tourists have been missing after floodwaters swept them away near the northern district of Chilas. Flooding and other rain-related accidents have killed 288 people in Pakistan since the monsoon season began in late June, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
