“She still had her whole life ahead of her”
Biathlon legend mourns the loss of deceased Dahlmeier
04.08.2025 – 11:35 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
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Laura Dahlmeier’s death also hit Ole Einar Bjørndalen. The Norwegian finds emotional words.
Biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjørndals reacted deeply to Laura Dahlmeier’s sudden death. “It is terribly tragic. It will be missing very much,” said the 51-year-old of the Norwegian newspaper “Dagbladet”. Dahlmeier had killed in mountaineering in Pakistan last week. The two -time Olympic champion was hit by a rockfall at Leila Peak on Monday. Rescue attempts subsequently failed. The 31-year-old was declared dead on Wednesday.
Bjørndals had learned about the drama in the Karakorum Mountains of acquaintances from Germany. These would have contacted him early. “They told me what had happened, so I knew immediately what would probably happen.” He quickly understood that there was not much hope for Dahlmeier, said Bjørndalen.
“You will be reminded of how precious life is,” said the most successful biathlete in history. “You become aware of life – especially that of your own children. You shouldn’t see anything for a matter of course.” Everyone would have challenges, but you have to try to appreciate what you have and that you are healthy.
Bjørndals also spoke about his last encounter with Dahlmeier. He last saw her last season, he said. “She always stood firmly on the floor with both legs. She never made a lot of lifting around, but was just herself. A very nice girl with good values,” he said about the German. He also described Dahlmeier, who had achieved great success in biathlon at a young age, with a view to them as “extremely talented and very ripe for her age”.
Bjørndals continued: “Unfortunately, she was only 31 years old. That was far too fast. She still had her whole life in front of her and many beautiful things she could have experienced.” Dahlmeier operated an extreme sport with mountaineering and knew the risks. “But she was unlucky,” said Bjørndalen.