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Former Venezuelan cyclist Daniela Larreal has tragically died. She apparently choked on her food.
Las Vegas – Daniela Larreal, a woman from Maracaibo, Venezuela, followed in the footsteps of her father Daniel and dedicated her life to cycling. Now the South American sports legend has died at the age of 50, as announced by the Venezuelan Cycling Federation chaired by Eliezer Rojas.
Former Olympian suffocates
Daniela Larreal, the former Olympic athlete, was last working in a hotel in the USA, according to journalist Ibrahim López. She has been missing since Monday, August 12. Fox Sports confirmed this information and added that work colleagues had alerted the police. On Friday, August 16, the former athlete was found lifeless in her apartment. The cause of death was said to be “suffocation due to the remains of solid food found in her windpipe.”
The former cyclist took part in five Olympic Games from 1992 in Barcelona to 2012 in London. At the 2002 South American Championships in San Salvador, she won two gold and one silver medal. She was also successful twice at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo. Larreal is one of the most successful athletes in the history of Venezuelan sport.
Venezuela’s cycling icon Daniela Larreal has died. © Imago/Montage
Living in exile because of the fight against corruption
Daniela Larreal lived in exile in the United States after she publicly expressed her support for former President Chávez in 2013 and spoke out against corruption in the Venezuelan Cycling Federation, as she revealed in a 2016 interview with The New Herald As a result, she was subjected to numerous harassments in her home country and moved to the USA, where, despite her training as a sports teacher, she had to work as an Uber driver, among other things.
Despite the seemingly difficult relationship, the Venezuelan Cycling Federation honored perhaps its greatest athlete on Instagram. “Daniela was not only a champion in cycling, but also a symbol of perseverance, dedication and passion for the sport. (…) Her legacy will live on in the history of Venezuelan cycling,” read the statement. An Olympian from Paris was also involved in an accident. (jsk)
