US Olympian And Silver Medalist Found Dead at Just 23
Olympic cyclist Kelly Catlin has died at the age of 23.
Catlin was found dead in her California home of an apparent suicide, according to cycling publication VeloNews, which reported the tragic news Sunday morning after her father informed them via letter.
“There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived,” Mark Catlin wrote in a letter to VeloNews. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
Kelly Catlin passes away at age 23 https://t.co/KDxqjm7EFf
— VeloNews (@velonews) March 10, 2019
Catlin won a silver medal for the U.S. as part of the U.S. women’s pursuit cycling team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero.
She also won world championship titles from 2016-2018 on the U.S. women’s pursuit team. She had been pursuing her graduate degree in Computational Mathematics at Stanford University, according to VeloNews.
Catlin had just recently published an article for VeloNews on Feb. 27 about finding balance in her life as a student and cyclist.
Catlin’s death comes less than two weeks after cycling magazine VeloNews published a journal she wrote on continuing her cycling career while pursuing a Stanford education.https://t.co/ueLMqE7i86
— The Stanford Daily (@StanfordDaily) March 10, 2019
Rob DeMartini, president and CEO of USA Cycling, said the community is devastated by the loss of Catlin.
“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,” DeMartini said in a statement. “The entire cycling community is mourning this immense loss. We are offering continuous support to Kelly’s teammates, coaches and staff. We also encourage all those who knew Kelly to support each other through the grieving.”
The sisterhood of pro cycling is absolutely devastated to hear the news of @kelly_catlin’s death. Suicide claimed this amazing woman, Olympic silver medalist, world champ, Stanford grad student. We’ll never know the weight she carried, but we will carry her in our hearts forever. pic.twitter.com/3slCUPjN26
— Kathryn Bertine (@KathrynBertine) March 10, 2019
Tributes have come pouring in for Catlin on social media.
This is a devastating loss. We need to continue to look after our cycling family. RIP Kelly, I’ll always remember your sense of humor, wit and kindness. https://t.co/WaicqLqQGj
— KristinArmstrong (@k_armstrong) March 10, 2019
The sisterhood of pro cycling is absolutely devastated to hear the news of @kelly_catlin’s death. Suicide claimed this amazing woman, Olympic silver medalist, world champ, Stanford grad student. We’ll never know the weight she carried, but we will carry her in our hearts forever. pic.twitter.com/3slCUPjN26
— Kathryn Bertine (@KathrynBertine) March 10, 2019
Her teammate on the silver medal winning women’s pursuit team, Chloe Dygert Owen wrote, “We will miss you forever. Rest In Peace now, Kelly.”
We will miss you forever. Rest In Peace now, Kelly ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PEcv428s37
— Chloé Dygert Owen (@chloedygert30) March 10, 2019
“We are deeply saddened by Kelly’s passing, and we will all miss her dearly. We hope everyone seeks the support they need through the hard days ahead, and please keep the Catlin family in your thoughts,” DeMartini said in his statement.
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