Future Olympic star falls to her death
Luce Douady was exploring a new section of cliffs near Grenoble in southeastern France with friends when she slipped from a difficult path and fell to her death on Monday. She was 16.
The talented climber, who won the junior world championship in bouldering last year, was seen as a future star of a sport set to be introduced at the Tokyo Olympics.
She was described as "brilliant in competition" by the French Mountain Climbing Federation, which expressed "the immense sadness of the climbing community".
"This terrible news has hit her training comrades, coaches and her club hard. But today, the entire federation is in mourning," the FFME added.
So sorry to hear about Luce Douady's tragic death. A very inspirational climber that left us way too soon. The #climbing community will remember you. Her performance in the IFSC was inspirational and I'll always remember the arm shake psych before her climbs.
— Gabriel (@Gabriel66048267) June 15, 2020
Douady's climbing club paid tribute on its Facebook page to a "young woman full of energy, passions and talents".
The exact circumstances of her death have not been reported.
Bouldering is a discipline of rock climbing where the athlete doesn't use any safety equipment like ropes or harnesses because it's performed on small rock formations or artificial walls.
Originally published as Future Olympic star falls to her death
