Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos has been found dead in her apartment in Las Vegas after reportedly choking to death on food.
Larreal represented Venezuela at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and London 2012.
When the 50-year-old didn’t show up to work at the Las Vegas hotel she worked at on August 12, her colleagues alerted authorities.
Police officers in Las Vegas went to her home on Friday (August 16) finding her body inside.
Spanish newspaper ABC reported a preliminary autopsy found the former athlete died of asphyxiation on August 11, with a post-mortem finding solid food remnants in her windpipe.
However, a cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed by investigators.
Larreal is one of Venezuela’s greatest ever Olympians, the only athlete from her nation to ever compete at five Olympics.
The Comité Olímpico Venezolano (Venezuelan Olympic Committee) shared a tribute on social media.
“The COV Board of Directors regrets the departure of Daniela Larreal,” the translated tweet read.
“With an outstanding career in track cycling, she managed to represent us with honour in five Olympic Games, accumulate four Olympic diplomas and triumphs that always filled us with great pride.”
While Larreal’s best result at the Olympics was finishing eighth in the Sprint at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Games, she was a gold medallist at the Pan American Games in 2011 in the Keirin and Team Sprint events, while also winning gold at the at the Pan American Championships in 2005 for Keirin and 2012 in the Team Sprint.
On top of her athletic prowess, Larreal was also a vocal opponent of President Nicolas Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela government, regularly denouncing corruption in the country and calling for change.
She was a member of the Vente Venezuela party, a centre-right to right-wing party in the country.
However, her statements led to her receiving death threats and eventually going into exile in the US.
VOZ reported that at the time, she said: “I want to inform those who are sick of power that their disqualifications against me do not affect me, they make me proud as a Venezuelan and I will fight.”
