Mountain rescue attempt ends as ex-Olympian declared dead
Dahlmeier's management team said a combination of changing weather conditions and rockfalls on Laila Peak made it too dangerous to continue the rescue attempt on Wednesday.
Partner Content
Laura Dahlmeier of Germany celebrates winning one of her two gold medals at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea on February 11, 2018. On Wednesday, she was declared dead from a mountaineering accident on Monday. File (Photo credit: Matthew Healey/UPI | License Photo)
July 30 (UPI) -- A rescue attempt has ended for Germany's two-time Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier following a rockfall on Monday while she was climbing Laila Peak in Pakistan.
Dahlmeier, 31, and her climbing partner were at an elevation of about 18,700 feet when a rockfall struck Dahlmeier and likely killed her two days ago.
"It was Laura's clear and written wishes that in an instance such as this, no one should risk their own lives in order to rescue her," Dahlmeier's management team posted on her Instagram account on Wednesday.
"Her wish was that in this case her body should be left behind on the mountain," her management team said.
"This is also in line with the express wishes of the relatives, who have requested Laura's last wishes be respected."
Dahlmeier's management team said a combination of changing weather conditions and rockfalls on Laila Peak made it too dangerous to continue the rescue attempt on Wednesday.
It added that she likely died when a falling rock struck her at about noon local time on Monday.
"Laura enriched the lives of many with her warm and straightforward manner," her management team said.
"She showed us that it is worth standing up for your dreams and goals and always staying true to yourself."
Her climbing partner, Marina Evan, immediately called emergency services when the accident occurred and joined the effort to rescue her.
A helicopter crew spotted her body and reported no signs of life on Tuesday as an international rescue team of expert climbers from Germany and the United States tried to reach her but stopped upon nightfall.
Her death was confirmed on Wednesday, with Monday being the designated date of her death.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation described Dahlmeier as "more than an Olympic champion -- she was someone with heart, attitude and vision."
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Dahlmeier an "ambassador for our country around the world and a role model for peaceful, joyful and fair coexistence across borders."
She visited Germany's FC Bayern campus in May to participate in its "EmpowerHer" mentoring program for female athletes.
"This news has deeply shocked us all," FC Bayern President Herbert Hainer said in an online announcement on Wednesday.
"Laura Dahlmeier will be remembered by people not only as a worldwide biathlon icon," he continued, "but above all as a personality who had an impact beyond sport, as a one-of-a-kind ambassador of the Free State of Bavaria.
He described Dahlmeier as "down-to-earth, home-loving, authentic [and] a popular and identifiable figure."
Laila Peak is located in the remote Karakoram Mountains in northeastern Pakistan.
Dahlmeier won two gold medals and a bronze while competing in the biathlon during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
She also won seven gold medals in world championship competitions and eight other medals before retiring in 2019 at age 25.
Report a Typo
