They turned back short of the summit because of safety concerns, but their timing was unlucky. Dahlmeier was rappelling when a big rock fatally struck her.

Gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier of Germany celebrates during the victory ceremony for the Women's Biathlon 7.5km Sprint on day one of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Biathlon Centre on February 10, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea (Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

German biathlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died Monday in a climbing accident. She was 31. Dahlmeier's death was confirmed by her team in a post on Instagram. The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) also confirmed Dahlmeier's death in a statement to CNN.