Venezuelan Olympic cyclist dies in Las Vegas at 51

FILE – Venezuela’s Daniela Larreal Chirinos celebrates her gold medal victory during the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, Nov. 29, 2002. Larreal Chirinos, a five-time Olympic cyclist who competed for Venezuela over the course of a decade, died on Aug. 15, 2024. She was 51. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

LAS VEGAS — Daniela Larreal Chirinos, a five-time Olympic cyclist who competed for Venezuela over the course of a decade, has died. She was 51.

Larreal was found dead at home in Las Vegas the afternoon of Aug. 15 after a friend called police for a welfare check, according to a police report. The friend told officers he had not heard from Larreal for several days, which was out of character for her.

Further details weren’t immediately available, but Luis Vidal, a police department spokesperson, said homicide detectives were not called to investigate. The Clark County coroner’s office said it was still working to determine the cause and manner of her death.

The Venezuelan Olympic Committee confirmed Larreal’s death in a statement in Spanish on the social platform X, saying it was saddened by the loss of an athlete “with an outstanding career in track cycling” and whose accomplishments at the Games “filled us with much pride.”

Larreal competed in five Olympics, beginning with 1992 in Barcelona through London 2012. She was not at the 2008 Games in Beijing.

At the time of her death, Larreal was working as a housekeeper at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the newest casino on the Strip. In a statement, Fontainebleau described Larreal as a “beloved member” of its team.

Her death comes on the heels of the 2024 Paris Olympics.