Olympic champion Dahlmeier dies in climbing accident
Laura Dahlmeier died aged 31 after being hit by falling rocks on a mountain in Pakistan. Photo: Reuters
Germany's two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead aged 31 on Wednesday after being hit by falling rocks on a Pakistani mountain.
The dangerous nature of the site made rescue efforts "impossible", her agency said in a statement issued on Wednesday, which confirmed her death. "Rescue efforts to recover her failed and the operation was suspended," the statement continued.
The accident happened around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range, according to a statement from her team on her official social media pages.
Dahlmeier's climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety.
Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower.
Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first female biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games.
Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Verstappen confirms he will remain at Red Bull in 2026
Verstappen confirms he will remain at Red Bull in 2026 The announcement ends weeks of speculation on the reigning world champion's future. Photo: Reuters Max Verstappen ended weeks of speculation about his future on Thursday when the reigning Formula One world champion said he would be staying with Red Bull in 2026. Verstappen said it was time to "stop all the rumours". "I've never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance," the Dutchman explained at the Hungaroring circuit ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. "And that's why I had nothing really to add, but I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours," he added. "For me, it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway." Four-time world champion Verstappen's future became a subject of speculation after rival driver George Russell revealed his Mercedes team were talking to the Dutchman's management about his future plans. It emerged that there was a performance clause in Verstappen's contract that offered him a chance to leave Red Bull if he was not in the top three at the end of July. But that clause has now elapsed and he will stay with Red Bull next year, the first season following a sweeping change of technical regulations. Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028 and a similar scrutiny of his contract is expected next year once it becomes clear which teams have adapted and progressed best under the new regulations. Verstappen has fallen 81 points behind series leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren into third place in the drivers' championship this year. Red Bull are in a state of flux, after sacking their team principal Christian Horner this month and replacing the Briton with Laurent Mekies, the boss of their 'B' team Racing Bulls. (AFP)
RTHK
13 hours ago
- RTHK
World Athletics: gene tests required for female events
World Athletics: gene tests required for female events World Athletics President Sebastian Coe says confirmation of an athlete's biological sex is very important in elite competitions. File photo: Reuters Track and field athletes aiming to take part in the female category in elite competitions will have to take a gene test from September, World Athletics has announced. The test will be in place in time for the World Championships which take place in Tokyo on September 13-21. "It is really important in a sport that is permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. "The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case." The test for the SRY gene, which is part of the Y chromosome and causes male characteristics to develop, can be done by a cheek swab or a blood test. If the athlete tests negative for the Y chromosome they are eligible to compete in the female category in world ranking competitions. If it is positive, they can only compete in the female category in non-world ranking competitions or in another category other than the female one. World Athletics says the test is "extremely accurate", adding: "The risk of false negative or positive is extremely unlikely." The SRY test is the same one adopted by World Boxing when it brought in mandatory sex testing for all competitors this year. The sport of athletics has long considered introducing eligibility criteria for women's events, amid questions over biological advantages for transgender athletes and those with differences of sex development. (AFP)
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
German biathlete confirmed dead in Pakistan climbing accident
German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died on a mountain in northern Pakistan after a climbing accident at a remote site that rescuers struggled to reach because of bad weather, a local government spokesman said on Wednesday. Dahlmeier, an Olympic gold medallist, was ascending Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range on Monday when she was struck by falling rocks while climbing with a partner who survived. Rescuers were able to confirm Dahlmeier's death on Wednesday but could not retrieve the body because of unfavourable weather, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government. Any final decision on retrieving the body would follow the wishes of Dahlmeier's family, Faraq said. A statement on Dahlmeier's social media page said it had been her wish that nobody risk their life to recover her body after an accident. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Dahlmeier's parents, writing that she 'was an exceptional sportswoman'. He recalled that he presented her with the highest honour in German sport, the Silver Laurel Leaf, shortly after she won her first Olympic gold medal in 2018. 'Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country in the world, a role model for peaceful, cheerful and fair coexistence across borders,' he said.
