German Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier dies after mountaineering accident in Pakistan

The German double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier has died after a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management confirmed on Wednesday.

The accident occurred at around noon on Monday, at an altitude of approximately 5,700 metres at Laila Peak, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Tuesday. Dahlmeier was climbing with her mountaineering partner when she was struck by a sudden rockfall in the Hushe Valley, part of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

“Laura Dahlmeier died on 28 July in a mountain accident on Laila Peak (6,069 metres) in Pakistan’s Karakoram range,” her representatives told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper. “A recovery operation was launched but ultimately called off on the evening of 29 July.”

Dahlmeier’s representatives added that she most likely died instantly, while her mountaineering partner was unharmed and remained at the site. Poor weather conditions have prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the location.

“It was Laura Dahlmeier’s express and written will that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to recover her,” they said. “It was her wish to leave her body behind on the mountain in this case. This is also in line with the wishes of her relatives.”

The 31-year-old Dahlmeier was an experienced mountaineer. She had been in the Gilgit-Baltistan region since the end of June and had already ascended the Great Trango Tower.

The German Olympic Sports Confederation expressed deep sorrow at the news, writing in a statement on social media: “She was more than an Olympic champion – she was someone with heart, attitude and vision.”

Laura Dahlmeier at a World Cup biathlon event in Canada in 2019. Photograph: Jeff McIntosh/AP

Dahlmeier, who was born in the Bavarian ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was also honoured by the premier of her home state, Markus Söder. “Laura epitomised her native Bavaria in the best sense of the word: she was ambitious and successful, yet always remained humble and close to her homeland,” he said in a statement.

“Even after her active career, she shared her love of sport as a winter sports expert, member of the mountain rescue service and ski guide,” Söder added.

Dahlmeier retired from biathlon in 2019, aged 25, a year after becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics, winning two golds and individual bronze at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

She went on to become a commentator on biathlon events for German broadcaster ZDF, and also took up mountaineering. She was a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescue, according to her team.