Laura Dahlmeier, 31, the celebrated German double Olympic biathlon champion, died in a mountaineering accident on July 28, 2025, while climbing Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range.
She was struck by falling rocks at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters (18,700 feet) in the Hushe Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan. Dahlmeier was climbing with her partner, Marina Eva, who survived and alerted rescue teams.
Due to the dangerous terrain, risk of further rockfalls, and poor weather conditions, helicopter rescue was not possible, and ground recovery efforts were eventually called off. It was Dahlmeier’s written wish that no one risk their lives to recover her body, so it remains on the mountain.
Dahlmeier was a two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist and seven-time world champion in biathlon, having retired from professional sport in 2019. The accident occurred during an expedition on Laila Peak, a technically challenging 6,069-meter summit known for hazardous climbing conditions.
Her death was confirmed by her management and local authorities, and international teams from Germany and the United States participated in the search and rescue operations.
Rescuers were able to confirm Ms Dahlmeier’s death on Wednesday but could not retrieve the body because of unfavourable weather, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the regional Gilgit-Baltistan government.
Any final decision on retrieving the body will follow the wishes of Ms Dahlmeier’s family, Mr Faraq said. A statement on her Instagram page said it had been her wish that nobody risk their life to recover her body after an accident.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Ms Dahlmeier’s parents, writing that she “was an exceptional sportswoman” and recalling that he presented her with the highest honour in German sport, the Silver Laurel Leaf, shortly after she won her first Olympic gold medal in 2018.
