Olympic Champion Laura Dahlmeier Passes Away After Mountaineering Mishap In Pakistan
The 31-year-old is believed to have been caught in a rockfall around midday on Monday at an elevation of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range.
Two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday after being struck by falling rocks on a mountain in Pakistan. The German athlete’s management company stated that the treacherous terrain made rescue operations unfeasible.
The 31-year-old is thought to have met with the accident around midday on Monday at a height of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak, located in the Karakoram range.
“Efforts to rescue her could not succeed and the operation was eventually called off,” the statement from her management team read.
“Laura’s vibrance and zest for life impacted so many people across the globe,” the International Biathlon Union said in its official statement.
“Her contributions, both within the sport of biathlon and beyond, will never be forgotten and will go on to motivate generations of athletes and adventurers,” the Union further added.
Czech champion Gabriela Soukalova, who was both a friend and competitor of Dahlmeier, expressed her sorrow on social media, writing, “This is a huge shock. Laura will always have a place in my heart.”
Dahlmeier’s climbing partner was able to alert authorities after reaching a safe location.
“It was concluded that a helicopter-based rescue could not be undertaken,” Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior official from Ghanche district, stated.
“The weather and terrain conditions at that altitude are extremely difficult,” he added.
Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, the agency that arranged the expedition, confirmed that a four-member ground rescue team—consisting of three American and one German mountaineer—was sent.
Dahlmeier was hit by falling rocks, her team reported on Tuesday, noting that nobody had been able to reach her owing to the continued danger of further rockfalls and the remoteness of the location.
Muhammad Ali, a local disaster response official, informed that the weather in the region had been extremely harsh over the last week, with rainfall, high-speed winds, and thick cloud cover.
Dahlmeier, a seasoned climber, had arrived in the area in late June and had already scaled the Great Trango Tower.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute, calling Dahlmeier “a representative of our nation on the global stage and an example of peaceful, joyful, and fair international friendship.”
She had secured seven gold medals at the world championships and, during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, became the first woman biathlete to clinch both the sprint and pursuit titles at the same Games.
Dahlmeier stepped away from competitive sport in 2019 at the age of 25 and later worked as a biathlon commentator for German broadcaster ZDF, while also actively pursuing mountaineering.
She was a certified mountain and ski guide, as well as an active volunteer with a mountain rescue team, as per her representatives.
According to her management company, Dahlmeier had left a written and clearly expressed wish that, in such a scenario, no one should risk their lives attempting to rescue her. This was in agreement with her family’s wishes, who also requested that Laura’s final wish be honoured.
“She wanted her body to remain on the mountain in such a situation,” the statement from her management concluded.
