23-Year-Old Olympic Cyclist Kelly Catlin Dies in Apparent Suicide: Reports
Olympic track cyclist Kelly Catlin died of an apparent suicide on Friday, the Associated Press reports.
The 23-year-old athlete earned a silver medal with the women’s pursuit team at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games.
Per the AP, Minnesota native Catlin was found dead in her California on Friday.
Her father, Mark Catlin, told the competitive cycling magazine Velo News that the Olympian died by suicide.
“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,” he told the sports outlet. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
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In a statement to the AP, USA Cycling chief executive Rob DeMartini said: “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.”
Catlin was pursuing a graduate degree in computational mathematics at Stanford University.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
