Laura Dahlmeier has spent her whole life in the mountains
Laura Dahlmeier, who was a certified mountain guide, was hit by a rockfall on July 28 at an altitude of about 5,700 meters. The search and rescue operation lasted two days and was coordinated by an international team of rescuers, including experienced mountaineers from the USA and Germany.
In the evening of July 30 it became known that the former biathlete died. She was climbing with her partner on the bundle, at the time of the rockfall, she was at a lower height. According to the publication “Bild”, Dahlmeier contacted her partner and asked for help.
The athlete willed to leave her body in the mountains in case of death, so as not to risk the health of rescuers. Three years earlier, her young man Robert Grazegger, who also had extensive experience in mountain climbing, died in an avalanche.
Condolences on Dahlmeier’s death were expressed by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the International Biathlon Union, many current and former biathletes.
Despite her early retirement from professional sport, Dahlmeier built an outstanding athletic career, becoming a two-time Olympic champion (two gold medals at the Pyeongchang Games, South Korea, 2018), seven-time world champion and winner of the Grand Crystal Globe at the end of the 2016/2017 season. The German ended her career at the age of 25, citing loss of motivation. After finishing her professional career, she focused on mountaineering, climbing and cycling.
