Dahlmeier was an Olympics champion
Double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has passed on after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan.
The 31-year-old German was caught in a rockfall during an expedition in the Karakoram mountains on July 28, 2025.
She was the first woman to win the sprint and pursuit events at the same Games.
She has won 15 medals, including seven gold, across five World Championships before retiring from competition in May 2019.
Dahlmeier, an experienced mountaineer, represented Germany at two Winter Olympics, winning two gold and one bronze medal in PyeongChang in 2018.
Her climbing partner, Marina Eva, called emergency services after the accident, which occurred at about 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) altitude.
Rescue teams, containing expert climbers from Germany and the United States, immediately began a rescue mission but their search was hindered by adverse weather conditions.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation said Dahlmeier was “more than an Olympic champion – she was someone with a heart, attitude and vision”.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Dahlmeier was an “ambassador for our country around the world and a role model for peaceful, joyful and fair coexistence across borders”.
PM/VPO
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