Olympic hero Laura Dahlmeier severely injured, missing after high-altitude rockfall
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Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, suffered serious injury after she fell while at a high elevation in the remote Karakorum Mountains in northern Pakistan, according to multiple reports.
Dahlmeier was presumed to be missing. German media outlet ZDF reported that data from Tuesday’s helicopter flyover concluded that the 31-year-old was at the very least “seriously injured.”
Search and rescue crews have yet to make contact with the German-born biathlete as of Tuesday morning.
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15 January 2020, Bavaria, Ruhpolding: Biathlon: World Cup, sprint 7.5 km, women in the Chiemgau Arena. Laura Dahlmeier, former biathlete, in a TV interview. (Matthias Balk/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A Pakistani government spokesperson said she “was taken away by locals from the landslide site,” per Reuters. Dahlmeier’s reps confirmed she was at an estimated altitude of 18,700 feet at the time of the mountaineering accident.
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“Laura Dahlmeier was climbing with her mountaineering partner on 28 July when she was caught in a rockfall. The accident took place around noon local time at an altitude of approximately 5,700 metres [18,700 feet],” Dahlmeier’s management told ZDF in a statement.
“Her partner immediately called emergency services, and a rescue operation began immediately. Due to the remoteness of the area, a helicopter was only able to reach the site of the accident on the morning of 29 July.”
Laura Dahlmeier of Germany in action competes during the Biathlon World Team Challenge at Veltins Arena on Dec. 28, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (TF-Images/Getty Images)
Dahlmeier stepped away from professional competition in 2019. She cited the diminishing of her overall passion for playing sports in her retirement announcement.
“After an unbelievably tough season with lots of highs and lows I no longer feel the 100 percent passion that is needed for professional sports. This is why after some long thought I decided to end my active biathlon career,” Dahlmeier said in 2019.
Laura Dahlmeier of Germany shoots prior to the Women’s 15km Individual Biathlon at Alpensia Biathlon Centre on February 15, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
She earned gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she made history as the first female biathlete to win a sprint and pursuit double at the same Games.
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Dahlmeier is also an Olympic bronze medalist. She finished in third place in the 15km individual event at the 2018 Games.
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