Laura Dahlmeier Dead - Olympic Gold Medalist Passes Away at 31 in Mountaineering Accident

Laura Dahlmeier has tragically died.

The German Olympic gold medalist passed away in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan at the age of 31.

On Monday (July 28), she was hit by falling rocks at an altitude of approximately 18,700 feet while on Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains, according to an Instagram post confirming her death on Wednesday (July 30).

Her death “is presumed to have occurred immediately,” based on a report from a rescue helicopter, and from the “description of the severity of her injuries” from her climbing partner Marina Eva, who made it back to base camp.

Recovering her body was deemed “too risky” due to the “current difficult conditions” on the mountain, including rockfall and sudden changes in weather.

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“Her wish was to leave her body on the mountain in this case,” the post reads, adding that her family has requested that her “final wishes be respected.” The family thanked the rescue team for doing “their very best to facilitate a rescue and reach the victim.”

In her career as an Olympian, Laura achieved a double gold medal victory in the sprint and pursuit races at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. She won seven gold, three silver, and five bronze medals at the Biathlon World Championships, 20 World Cup races and the overall World Cup in the 2016/17 season.

She ended her professional biathlon career at age 25 in 2019.

After her retirement, she worked as a ZDF expert at the Biathlon World Cup, as well as focusing on mountaineering, according to reports.

Our thoughts are with Laura Dahlmeier‘s loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. RIP.