Authorities have abandoned efforts to recover the body of German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan this week.
Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range.
Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to “dangerous” conditions at the site, Dahlmeier’s management agency said on Thursday.
In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would “continue to monitor the situation… and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date”.
Several of Dahlmeier’s colleagues confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk.
German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team who had attempted a rescue but told reporters on Thursday: “We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish.”
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Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell told AFP it would be “disrespectful” to recover her body contrary to her wishes.
Marvell said “the recovery of Laura’s body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter”.
Dahlmeier’s climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall.
“I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn’t move again,” Krauss told reporters.
Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support. “It was impossible for me to get there safely. It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn’t move, she didn’t show any signs (of movement). I called out to her, but there was no response.”
“She only had a chance if help arrived immediately,” she said.
Dahlmeier won seven World Championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games. She retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.