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The 31-year-old is believed to have encountered rockfall around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range.
Laura Dahlmeier. (X)
Two-time Olympic biathlon gold medal winner Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday after being hit by falling rocks on a Pakistani mountain. The German’s management company revealed that the dangerous nature of the site made rescue efforts impossible.
The 31-year-old is believed to have encountered the accident around midday on Monday at an altitude of 5,700 metres on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range.
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“Rescue efforts to recover her failed and the operation was suspended,” the statement from her management company read.
“Laura’s energy and passion for life touched so many around the world,” the International Biathlon Union reacted in a statement.
“Her legacy, both within biathlon and beyond, will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire countless athletes and adventurers for generations to come,” the union added.
Czech champion Gabriela Soukalova, Dahlmeier’s friend and rival, took to social media to share her dismay with a post that read, “This is an enormous shock. Laura will always remain in my heart.”
Dahlmeier’s climbing partner was able to sound the alarm after reaching safety.
“It was determined that a helicopter rescue is not possible,” Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior local official in Ghanche district said.
“The conditions at the altitude where she was injured are extremely challenging,” he added.
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Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, which organized the expedition, confirmed the ground rescue by a team of four comprising three Americans and one German mountaineer.
Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks, her team reported on Tuesday, noting that no one had been able to reach her due to the risk of further rockfalls and the site’s remote location.
Muhammad Ali, a local disaster management official, disclosed that the weather conditions have been extremely severe in the region over the past week, with rain, strong winds, and thick clouds.
Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, had been in the region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described Dahlmeier as “an ambassador for our country around the world and a role model for peaceful, joyful, and fair coexistence across borders,” following the incident.
She won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, she became the first woman 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 and became a commentator on biathlon events for German broadcaster ZDF, while also taking up mountaineering.
She was a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescue team, according to her team.
Dahlmeier’s management company stated that it had been her express and written wish that in a situation like this, no one should risk their life to rescue her, which was also in line with the wishes of her relatives, who requested that Laura’s last wish be respected.
“Her wish was to leave her body on the mountain in such a case,” the company said.
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