German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died following a climbing accident on a mountain peak in northern Pakistan.
Dahlmeier was 31 years old.
Authorities said that workers are attempting to retrieve her body, as bad weather has prevented helicopters from reaching the site. But her management said that Dahlmeier’s body will not be recovered: ‘It was Laura Dahlmeier’s express and written will that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to rescue her. Her wish was to leave her body on the mountain in this case.’
‘Laura Dahlmeier was killed on July 28th in a rockfall accident at 5700 m on Laila Peak (6069 m) in the Pakistani Karakoram Mountains. The rescue operation was unsuccessful and was called off on the evening of July 29th,’ her representatives told the Die Welt newspaper.
On Monday, Dahlmeier was on the 6,069-meter-high Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range with her climbing partner, Marina Eva, when she was hit by falling rocks. Eva sent a distress signal and was rescued, making it back to the base camp on Tuesday.
‘Like so many people in our country, I feared for Laura Dahlmeier until the very end and hoped that she might still be rescued alive after her tragic mountain accident in Pakistan. I can only imagine the depth of your pain and despair. I express my deepest condolences to you, all of her family and friends,’ German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement offering his condolences to Dahlmeier’s parents. ‘Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country around the world, a role model for peaceful, joyful, and fair coexistence across borders. That’s how I, and many people in our country, will remember her.’
Dahlmeier won gold medals in the 7.5 km sprint and the 10 km pursuit races at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018 and a bronze medal in the 15 km individual competition, becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics.
She retired from competition in 2019, but not before winning 15 medals, including seven golds, during five World Championships.