Dahlmeier’s manager “partly stunned, but above all angry” after online abuse following the biathlon legend’s death

Sophie Schröder, manager of the late Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier, has spoken publicly about the weeks following Dahlmeier’s death in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan.

In an emotional LinkedIn post, Schröder said she was “partly stunned, but above all angry” at the “tactlessness and impudence” she encountered after the tragedy. She described receiving attacking and hurtful comments and emails, as well as seeing misinformation, conspiracy theories and AI‑generated clips that ignored facts, copyrights and personality rights — motivated, in her view, by thoughtlessness, self‑promotion or profit.

Schröder said the management’s guiding principle was always to act in Dahlmeier’s spirit: to release only the necessary facts while protecting her privacy amid an “enormous media avalanche.” The experience, she added, was extremely challenging but also showed the strength that can come from a trusted team and genuine empathy.

Addressing Dahlmeier directly, Schröder wrote that they had many plans together and that it remains hard to accept they will not be realized. Quoting Dahlmeier, she concluded that it is time to stop lamenting and look ahead, and appealed to the public for more respect and empathy for people, their realities, resilience and dignity.