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An incident has led to a fatal accident of one of Germany’s most celebrated athletes. The mountaineering fraternity is mourning the loss of two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier. In 2018, at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, she made history as the first female biathlete to win both the 7.5 km sprint and 10 km pursuit, also securing a bronze in the individual event. Dahlmeier and her climbing partner, Marina Eva were climbing the Laila Peak, a 6,069-meter summit in the Hushe Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountain Range.
Laura Dahlmeier’s management confirmed her death to the media on Wednesday, July 30. Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, was struck by a rockfall at approximately 5,700 meters, and rescue efforts were unable to reach her due to the remote location and hazardous conditions. According to a statement from her management to German broadcaster ZDF, a rockfall struck Dahlmeier, leaving her at least seriously injured. Eva, unharmed, immediately alerted emergency services, prompting an international rescue operation involving expert climbers from Germany, the United States, and Pakistan, supported by the Pakistani military.
Laura Dahlmeier has also won seven world championship golds and 20 individual World Cup victories
According to the reports, Laura Dahlmeier’s management confirmed that she likely died instantly upon impact. It was also reported that in accordance with Dahlmeier’s express wishes, no recovery operation was undertaken, as she had stipulated that no one should risk their life to retrieve her body in such circumstances. It is claimed by the reports that her family supported this decision, stating that her body would remain on the mountain, a testament to her deep connection to the peaks she loved.
With seven world championship golds and 20 individual World Cup victories, she retired from biathlon in May 2019 at age of 25. After retiring, Dahlmeier reportedly channeled her passion for the mountains into mountaineering, becoming a state-certified mountain and ski guide in 2023 and an active member of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen mountain rescue team. According to the reports, she had been in Pakistan’s Karakoram range since late June, successfully summiting the 6,287-meter Great Trango Tower on July 8 before attempting Laila Peak.
