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Laura Dahlmeier: Two-time Olympic biathlon champion dies in Pakistan climbing accident aged 31
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Updated 31/07/2025 at 08:13 GMT+1
Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time Olympic champion in biathlon, has died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan. The 31-year-old was struck by a falling rock on Monday while climbing in the Karakoram range. Harsh conditions delayed rescue efforts, and her death was confirmed on Wednesday. Dahlmeier retired from biathlon in 2019 and had since turned her focus to extreme mountaineering.
A tribute to two-time Olympic biathlon champion Dahlmeier
Video credit: TNT Sports
Double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has died aged 31 following a tragic accident in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan.
Dahlmeier, who retired from biathlon in 2019, was struck by a falling rock while climbing at an altitude of around 5,700 metres. Her management confirmed the news on Wednesday after an initially complex and delayed rescue operation was mounted.
Challenging terrain and difficult weather conditions had hampered earlier efforts to reach her. Officials in the Ghanche district, near the peak where the incident occurred, said the altitude and terrain made helicopter access impossible.
Dahlmeier was one of the most decorated athletes in her sport, winning seven World Championship gold medals and securing overall World Cup victory in the 2016/17 season. Her finest hour came at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she claimed gold in both the sprint and pursuit events, and bronze in the individual.
"The International Biathlon Union is deeply saddened to learn that former Olympic and World Champion Laura Dahlmeier has passed away at the age of 31 following a tragic mountaineering accident in Pakistan," the sport's governing body said in a statement.
"Laura was one of the greatest athletes to grace biathlon and her loss is felt deeply by everyone in biathlon, the wider German sport family and beyond.
"Laura’s energy and passion for life touched so many around the world. Her legacy, both within biathlon and beyond, will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire countless athletes and adventurers for generations to come."
Dahlmeier's breakthrough campaign was the 2012/13 season, when she made her first appearance at the IBU World Cup.
This led to her selection at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, where she came 13th in the individual.
Dahlmeier also shone at the 2017 Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria.
She claimed five gold medals in the six events she participated in, taking victory in the pursuit, individual, mass start, women’s relay and mixed relay, as well as silver in the sprint.
Dahlmeier retired from the sport in May 2019 at the age of 25, after which she pursued her love of mountaineering.
According to Olympics.com, her next target was to climb the summit of Laila Peak in Pakistan after reaching the summit of Great Trango Tower.
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