German Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier dies at 31: Details here
What's the story
Germany's Laura Dahlmeier, a double Olympic champion and seven-time world champion biathlete, has died in a tragic mountaineering accident at the age of 31. The incident occurred while she was climbing Laila Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram Mountains. Her management and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) confirmed the same to CNN Sports, leaving the sports and mountaineering communities in mourning.
Statement
Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocksÂ
On July 28, Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks while climbing Pakistan's Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range, as per her team. It all occurred at an altitude of 5,700 meters. "We're deeply shocked by the sudden and much too early death of this wonderful person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends and we will offer our support wherever we can," Thomas Weikert, the German Olympic Sports Confederation president, told CNN Sports.
Rescue
Rescue helicopter reaches late
The rescue operation was followed by Dahlmeier's climbing partner Marina Eva's distress signal. However, military helicopters were unably to fly due to bad weather, as per Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government. Notably, a rescue helicopter made the accident's scene the next day. As per a statement from Dahlmeier's management, the biathlete had asked her team members to refrain from risking their lives in the event of an accident.
Achievements
Achievements of Germany's greatest biathlete
Dahlmeier emerged as Germany's greatest biathlete. The biathlon is a winter sport that covers cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. In 2018, he became the first female biathlete to win both sprint and pursuit at the same Olympics (2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang). She won a record five gold medals at the 2017 Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria.
Twitter Post
'Your story will live on'
Schweren Herzens nehmen wir Abschied von Laura Dahlmeier đź–¤
— DOSB (@DOSB) July 30, 2025
Ihr plötzlicher Tod macht uns fassungslos.
Sie war mehr als eine Olympiasiegerin – sie war ein Mensch mit Herz, Haltung und Vision.
Deine Geschichte wird weiterleben, Laura. pic.twitter.com/54CWBo4oMd