Trending 
German Olympic gold medallist Laura Dahlmeier has been confirmed dead at the age of 31 following a mountaineering accident on Laila Peak in northern Pakistan.
Her agency announced on Wednesday that the former biathlete was fatally struck by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) in the Karakoram mountain range.
Rescue efforts were deemed “impossible” due to the perilous location and the risk of further rockfalls. “Attempts to retrieve her body had to be suspended,” the agency stated.
The fatal incident occurred on Monday around midday. Dahlmeier’s climbing partner managed to descend and alert authorities, but aerial rescue was ruled out.
“A helicopter rescue was not feasible,” said Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior official in Ghanche district, who described the conditions as extremely difficult.
The expedition, organised by Shipton Trek & Tours Pakistan, also confirmed the involvement of a ground team made up of three Americans and a German mountaineer. However, severe weather—marked by persistent rain, strong winds, and thick cloud cover—hampered the recovery operation.
Dahlmeier had been in the region since late June and had already completed a successful ascent of the Great Trango Tower before attempting Laila Peak. Her team reported that no one had reached her due to ongoing rockfall hazards and the remoteness of the site.
In Germany, tributes have poured in for the former athlete. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described Dahlmeier as “a global ambassador for our country” and “a role model for peaceful and joyful international cooperation.”
A decorated athlete, Dahlmeier captured two gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, becoming the first woman to win both the sprint and pursuit biathlon events at the same Games. She also won seven world championship titles before retiring in 2019 at just 25 years old.
Following her retirement, Dahlmeier worked as a biathlon commentator for German broadcaster ZDF and pursued her passion for mountaineering. She was a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of a mountain rescue team.
