Laura Dahlmeier dies in a tragic accident in Pakistan. The memories of an exceptional talent will remain unforgettable. An obituary.
“I will never forget that day.” What Laura Dahlmeier would tell the dpa many years later, looking back on her first World Championship appearance, also applies to many biathlon fans. February 15, 2013, was the birth of the career of one of the greatest female biathletes in history – and probably the most impressive debut the biathlon sport has ever seen.
It was already a surprise that Dahlmeier had been nominated for the World Championships in Nove Mesto without any World Cup experience. Even more surprising was the news during the World Championships that the then 19-year-old should not only gain experience as a substitute runner, but would also be set up for the relay. Even on ZDF at the time, they spoke of “high risk.”
Laura Dahlmeier is one of the most successful biathletes in history
The courageous plan initially did not seem to work. Instead of a lead, Dahlmeier was sent into the race by Franziska Hildebrand and Miriam Neureuther (then Gössner), who was so strong in the season, in eighth place and with a gap of almost 40 seconds. And now, of all people, the youngster without any experience in the adult sector should perform a miracle?
What no one thought possible became reality. In the first round, Dahlmeier made up twelve seconds on the leader before remaining error-free in the prone position. ZDF expert Herbert Fritzenwenger spoke enthusiastically of the “perfect shooting of a 19-year-old who has never competed against this absolute world class. You have to let that melt in your mouth.”
“Indescribable”: Dahlmeier debut leaves speechless
And it got even better, because while the competition despaired with one exception, Dahlmeier cleared everything in the standing position without a reload. Fritzenwenger could squeeze out a “Bravo” before falling into incredulous laughter. That was repeated in the final round when Dahlmeier dueled with World Cup medalist Valj Semerenko for the lead.
“To run up this 1-1 technique for so long is madness alone. I’m totally blown away. This performance by Dahlmeier is simply indescribable,” Fritzenwenger shouted as Dahlmeier finally left the Ukrainian standing and handed over to final runner Andrea Henkel with a few seconds’ lead.
Since she failed, it was no medal in the end – but Dahlmeier was on everyone’s lips afterwards. The then national coach Ricco Groß found the performance “sensational” and even the otherwise rather quiet expert Sven Fischer had said to his ZDF colleague Alexander Ruda: “Boy, say sensation.”
Laura Dahlmeier is congratulated by Miriam Neureuther (then Gössner) after her sensational World Cup debut
Fischer quickly realized that a very special athlete had made her debut here: “You have to imagine, she is 19 years old, she is coming in new. A certain unrest is usually always there. But she simply reels off her race.”
Like a true exceptional athlete. And she undoubtedly was. She became a double Olympic champion, won 15 World Cup medals, including seven gold, and won the overall World Cup.
What made the mountains so attractive to Dahlmeier
But at some point, even that could no longer really fulfill her, so she ended her biathlon career at the age of just 25 and pursued her other great passion, mountaineering.
Some years later, she revealed in “Ski & Berge – Das DSV Magazin” on SPORT1 what makes it so fascinating for her: “The mountains are a very special place for me. On the one hand, a place of power where I can recharge my batteries. On the other hand, I can also really challenge myself, challenge myself and sometimes explore the limits.”
While she never particularly liked being seen as special and pushed into the limelight in biathlon, she found her peace in the mountains: “I think it’s really nice that every person is equal in the mountains. It doesn’t matter what you do in your private life or professionally. True qualities count on the mountain.”
The mountains were Dahlmeier’s life – and so it is not surprising that it was her express wish to leave her body on the mountain before other people would have to risk their lives for the rescue. The biathlon Olympic champion died after a rockfall during an expedition on Laila Peak in Pakistan. She was only 31 years old.
Laura Dahlmeier at the World Cup in Hochfilzen
But not only February 15, 2013, but also the memories of an exceptional phenomenon remain unforgotten.