Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier dies at 31 in Pakistan mountain climbing accident

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Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has died at the age of 31 as a result of her injuries from a mountaineering accident earlier this week.

The German biathlete was struck by falling rocks in northern Pakistan in the Karakoram mountains.

Early rescue efforts were made to locate Dahlmeier but were unsuccessful due to inclement weather and further risks of falling rocks - the remote location of the incident made efforts that much more difficult.

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Laura Dahlmeier of Germany competes during the Biathlon World Team Challenge at Veltins Arena on Dec. 28, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (TF-Images/Getty Images)

"The news about the passing of two-time Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier in a terrible mountaineering accident is deeply shocking for all of us in the Olympic Movement. She lost her life in her beloved mountains," IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in a statement.

"Laura made history at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics as the first female biathlete to win sprint and pursuit gold at the same Games edition. She will be remembered forever. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time."

According to Dahlmeier's management, the accident took place at an altitude of nearly 19,000 feet.

A Pakistani government spokesperson said she "was taken away by locals from the landslide site," per Reuters. 

Laura Dahlmeier (GER) in the women's 15km individual biathlon during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Alpensia Biathlon Centre. (Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)

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