LAS VEGAS (AP) — Daniela Larreal Chirinos, a five-time Olympic cyclist who competed for Venezuela for more than a decade, has died. She was 51.
Larreal was found dead at her home in Las Vegas on the afternoon of Aug. 15 after a friend called police to check on her well-being, a police report said. The friend told cops he had not heard from Larreal in several days, which was out of character for her.
Further details were not immediately available, but Luis Vidal, a police department spokesman, said no homicide unit had been assigned to the investigation. The Clark County coroner’s office said it was still working to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Venezuelan Olympic Committee confirmed Larreal’s death in a statement in Spanish on the social platform X, expressing his sadness at the loss of an athlete “with an outstanding career in track cycling” whose performances at the Games “filled us with great pride”.
Larreal competed in five Olympic Games, from the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She did not compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
At the time of her death, Larreal was working as a housekeeper at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the newest casino on the Strip. In a statement, Fontainebleau described Larreal as a “beloved member” of its team.
Her death follows the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris.
