Olympians mourn one of their own.
Laura Dahlmeierwho earned gold in biathlon at 2014 and 2018 Olympics For TeamryDied after she was caught in a stone case in the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan on July 28, her management team confirmed. She was 31.
“Laura Dahlmeier and her climbing partner came down from the top of Laila Peak,” on July 30 the Instagram post, translated from German, started. “During a rappel maneuver of about 5,700 meters, Laura Dahlmeier was struck by falling stones. Her undamaged climbing partners immediately called rescue services and a rescue operation began.”
“Try to save her by her climbing partner was made for many hours,” continued the statement, “but the difficulty with the terrain and the ongoing stone case made it impossible.”
The distant place meant that a rescue helicopter could not reach the scene until the next morning, which is when Dahlmeier – a certified mountaineer and ski guide – was discovered by rescuers.
“Due to technical and rescue restrictions by the helicopter, a flight rescue could not be carried out,” explained her team. “A ground rescue was also not possible because of the ongoing risk of stone case and the objective dangers at the scene of the accident.”
