For the first time, the father of biathlon legend Laura Dahlmeier is speaking about the tragic death of his daughter. He explains why a recovery was not possible – and why Laura will likely remain on Laila Peak forever.
The father of the late biathlon legend Laura Dahlmeier has spoken publicly about her death for the first time. Andreas Dahlmeier confirmed that the latest attempt to recover her body from Laila Peak in Pakistan has failed.
“We would have liked to bring Laura home. But it was not possible to retrieve her,” says the father. At the family’s request, climbing star Thomas Huber, together with US alpinist Tad McCrea, made another attempt in September to locate the body of the two-time Olympic champion. However, despite an intensive search, Laura Dahlmeier remained missing.
Laura Dahlmeier’s body will likely remain on the mountain forever
Dahlmeier: Failed recovery attempt on Laila Peak
“It was too dangerous after the accident. When Thomas went to Laila Peak again, she was no longer findable. Thus, Laura remains on the mountain. There is no chance of recovering her now.”
The 31-year-old was hit by a rockfall on July 28 while descending Laila Peak in northern Pakistan and lost her life. Immediately after the accident, the dangerous conditions on site prevented any recovery.
Huber: “Laura was no longer at the accident site”
Huber describes the search for the deceased athlete: “I knew exactly where we had to go to get the optimal view. We had a spotting scope with 30x magnification to scan the terrain, as well as a drone. If we had found Laura, we would have climbed the wall and recovered her. As expected, However, Laura was no longer at the accident site.”
Huber suspects that Dahlmeier’s body fell into a crevasse due to the rockfall and was buried there under debris. “It is a beautiful place where Laura now finds her peace,” he says.
Family of the biathlon legend requests privacy from the public
The Dahlmeier family now hopes that media attention will decrease. “Laura would have wanted it that way too,” says Andreas Dahlmeier. His daughter, who is among the most successful biathletes in German sports history, will likely remain on the mountain forever.