German biathlete and double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has died at the age of 31 following a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, her management team confirmed.
Dahlmeier won two gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics, becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Games.
She retired from biathlon in 2019, aged 25, and was climbing with her mountaineering partner in the northern mountain range in the Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan.
Dahlmeier was hit by sudden rockfall on Monday while attempting to summit the 6,094-metre Laila Peak and two teams of expert climbers from Germany and the United States were deployed to try and find her.
A helicopter conducted a search operation on Tuesday evening but found no signs of life, a government spokesperson said, while poor weather conditions prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the site.
Two rescue teams have confirmed she is dead, and the German Olympic Sports Confederation expressed deep sorrow at the news.
"She was more than an Olympic champion - she was someone with heart, attitude and vision," it said in a statement on X.
Dahlmeier, who was born in the Bavarian ski town Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was also honoured by the premier of her home state, Markus Soeder.
"Laura Dahlmeier 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.”
The president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, also paid tribute to Dahlmeier, saying: “The news about the passing of two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier in a terrible mountaineering accident is deeply shocking for all of us in the Olympic movement. She lost her life in her beloved mountains.
"Laura made history at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics as the first female biathlete to win sprint and pursuit gold at the same Games edition. She will be remembered forever. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time.”
Dahlmeier had reportedly climbed the 6,287-metre Great Trango Tower on 8 July and was aiming to reach the summit of the Laila Peak next. Dahlmeier’s climbing partner was named as Marina Eva Krauss, who successfully descended to the base camp and was reported to be in good health.
Pakistan's northern mountainous regions have experienced heavy flooding and landslides, killing several local tourists during the current monsoon spell of rains.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority said flooding and other rain-related accidents have killed 288 people in the country since the monsoon season began in late June.
Includes reporting from Reuters
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