Laura Dahlmeier, a double Olympic biathlon champion, has reportedly been left stranded following a serious mountaineering accident.
During her successful career, Dahlmeier, 31, won two Olympic golds in the winter version of the games and seven world titles.
However, according to reports in Germany, she was hit by falling rocks when on a mountain climb in the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan on Monday.
The 31-year-old was said to be at roughly 18,700 feet when the incident happened and although a rescue team was deployed, they were unable to reach her on Monday.
And while there have been further attempts today, as of this morning, Dahlmeier was still stranded, with some claiming that she is ‘at least seriously injured’.
In a statement to German broadcaster ZDF, Dahlmeier’s management provided an update on what had gone on.
Laura Dahlmeier, a double Olympic biathlon champion, has reportedly been left stranded following a serious mountaineering accident in the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan
Dahlmeier, 31, won two gold medals at the winter Olympics in South Korea back in 2018
Since retiring in 2019, Dahlmeier has worked in punditry while she also wrote a children’s book
‘Laura Dahlmeier was climbing alpine style with her climbing partner on July 28 when she was hit by rockfall,’ it said.
‘The accident happened around noon local time at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters [18,700 feet].
‘The climbing partner immediately called emergency services, and the rescue operation was initiated immediately.
‘Due to the remoteness of the area, a rescue helicopter was unable to reach the scene until the morning of July 29.
‘An international mountain rescue team is currently coordinating the rescue operation.
‘They are being assisted by experienced international mountaineers in the region.’
Dahlmeier’s team pledged to provide another update to the public when any further information is available.
During Dahlmeier’s career, the 31-year-old won her two gold medals in the Sprint and Pursuit events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
She also took a bronze medal home in the 15km individual pursuit, and she competed in the 2014 games in Sochi.
The German retired from competing in May 2019, claiming she no longer had the 100 per cent passion necessary for the sport.
She has since dipped her toes into punditry, working for ZDF, while she also released a children’s book in 2019 which was titled: ‘The Climate Gang: Laura Dahlmeier and friends working for nature’.
