A photo of the deceased German biathlete Laura Dahlmeier can be seen on the screen during a minute's silence at the Athletics German Championships in the Heinz Steyer Stadium. Sven Hoppe/dpaDPAMon, November 24, 2025 at 11:56 AM UTC·1 min readThe German Ski Association (DSV) will award the Laura Dahlmeier Prize in memory of Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountaineering accident in July in Pakistan.
"We at the German Ski Association deliberately took time to think about how we could continue to honour Laura in a dignified manner in the future – as an exceptional athlete, but above all as a special person," DSV board member Stefan Schwarzbach told dpa.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStarting next year, the award will be presented to an outstanding DSV young athlete.
"It's open to all disciplines, not just biathlon. We discussed this with Laura's parents beforehand, of course, and are very grateful that they support this idea," Schwarzbach said.
Twice Olympic and five-time world champion Dahlmeier died in late July when she was hit by rockfall at an altitude of around 5,700 metres while climbing with another woman at Laila Peak.
Dahlmeier was a state-certified mountain and ski guide, and an active member of Germany's mountain rescue organization. She was considered an experienced and risk-aware mountaineer who has climbed on many continents.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Although almost half a year has passed, it is still very difficult for all of us to accept that we will not see Laura again this winter," Schwarzbach said.
"Even after her career ended (in 2019), she was still present at many biathlon World Cup events as a TV expert. The coming weeks will certainly be emotional for most of us, because we associate many of these places closely with memories of Laura and shared experiences."
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