Olympic Champion Laura Dahlmeier Dies in Mountaineering Accident

Olympic gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier has died in a mountaineering accident in northern Pakistan.

Dahlmeier had been stranded on the Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range since Monday.

Military helicopters had been unable to set off due to low visibility and rainfall, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.

The 31-year-old German, who won gold in the sprint and pursuit biathlon events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and was also a seven-time world champion, was struck by falling rocks.

A Pakistani minister confirmed she had died later on Wednesday, saying efforts were under way to recover her body.

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Dahlmeier, who also won the 2017 women’s biathlon World Cup, was injured at an altitude of about 18,700ft on Monday at noon local time, according to her management team in Germany.

Alpine Club Of Pakistan vice president Karrar Haidri told the Associated Press before reports of her death emerged: “She sustained serious injuries, but she has oxygen with her, and injured climbers have been known to survive for days.”

The authorities launched the rescue mission after receiving a distress signal on Monday from Dahlmeier’s climbing partner, Marina Eva, who managed to descend to base camp with help from rescuers the following day.

Rescue efforts resumed on Wednesday.

Other climbers, including two Americans who have been attempting the same ascent, tried to join the rescue operation.

Dahlmeier was due to be taken to the city of Skardu when her body was recovered, officials said.

She announced her retirement from competitive biathlon in May 2019 at the age of 25.