Olympic track cyclist Kelly Catlin died Friday at 23
Olympic track cyclist Kelly Catlin, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the team pursuit, died in her California home on Friday.
She was 23.
Catlin most recently helped lead the U.S. women’s team pursuit team to a gold medal at the 2018 world championships, her third straight championship in the event.
Her father, Mark Catlin, said in a letter to VeloNews that Kelly 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,” Mark wrote to VeloNews. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
The Minneapolis-area native also raced on the road for the Rally UHC Pro Cycling Team and was pursuing a graduate degree in computational mathematics at Stanford, according to the Associated Press.
“The U.S. cycling community suffered a devastating loss with the passing of Kelly Catlin,” USA cycling president 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.
“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.
“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.”
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