Olympian cyclist, 23, dead by suicide

LOS ANGELES, 11 March 2019:

Olympian Kelly Catlin, who helped the US win the women’s pursuit team silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games, has died, USA Cycling said yesterday. The three-time world champion was 23.

“The US cycling community suffered a devastating loss with the passing of Kelly Catlin,” USA Cycling president and chief executive Rob DeMartini said in a statement.

“Kelly was more than an athlete to us, and she will always be part of the USA Cycling family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Catlin family. This is an incredibly difficult time and we want to respect their privacy,” the statement added. “The entire cycling community is mourning this immense loss.”

VeloNews reported that Catlin’s father, Mark, said in a letter to the publication she died on Friday night at her home in California. Her father told the publication that she died by suicide.

Catlin won gold medals with the US women’s team pursuit team at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 world championships.

She was a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

  • Reuters