Laura Dahlmeier, the most decorated German biathlete and 2018 Olympic champion, passed away unexpectedly on Monday. She died in a climbing accident in northern Pakistan. She tries to climb Laila Peak in the Karakoram Mountains. This accident occurred at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters (18,700 feet). 9 mountain climbing would be killed by an avalanche of rocks that fell around noon.
Dahlmeier, who turned 31 just days before her death, was free soloing with her partner, Marina Eva. Fortunately, Eva has survived the ordeal and safely made it down to base camp with help from rescuers on Tuesday. Despite her efforts to rescue Dahlmeier for several hours after the accident, the difficult terrain and persistent rockfall made it impossible for her to reach her partner.
Laura Dahlmeier accelerated to the start of her climbing mission in late June. She started this journey with her friends after retiring from a pro biathlon career in 2019. Prior to the switch to mountaineering, she enjoyed an accomplished biathlon career winning several Olympic and World Championship medals. At the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she swept the sprint and pursuit events, taking home gold medals in each. She went on to win a bronze medal in the individual competition as well. In the course of her Biathlon World Championships career, Dahlmeier dominated, picking up seven gold, three silver and five bronze medals. In total, she won 20 World Cup races and won the overall World Cup title in the 2016-17 season.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Dahlmeier expressed her hope for a climbing mishap. She stressed that in such a case, no one should have to endanger their own life to rescue her. This sentiment serves to underscore her awareness of the perils of high-altitude climbing.
As news of her death radiated out, condolences flowed in from all over Germany. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier called her “an extraordinary sportswoman.” He pointed out that “Laura Dahlmeier was an ambassador for our country in the world, a role model for peaceful, cheerful, and fair coexistence beyond borders.”
Dahlmeier grew up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the German Alps, where she fell in love both with skiing and with climbing in the high peaks. After her gold medal biathlon career, she wanted to continue pushing herself in the mountains, showing signs of ambition.
Her partner’s harrowing experience during the accident drove home that climbing in these ruthless conditions could be devastating. Her husband, who’s a midwife, could not find any fetal heart tones or signs of life. Understanding the threat, she took the significant risk to exit the field and descend rapidly.
